A Thanksgiving To Remember
by Houddy
Summary: Now that Huddy are dating, it's time for a family Thanksgiving. With House involved, things should get pretty intersting.Warning or promise depending on your POV This story contains smut. I tried to stop them, but you get Huddy together, smut happens
1. Introduction

**INTRODUCTION**

House dropped into the chair in front of Cuddy's desk. She'd been hiding in her office all day, and now he knew why. After a long, menacing glare, during which she did whatever she could to ignore him, he spoke.

"I'm not going." The finality of his words was to be the end of the conversation.

"You can't not go, House, they're your parents." Cuddy finally put down the papers she had been pretending to read and looked up at him. He was looking particularly good today.

"That's WHY I'm not going." House leaned back in his chair and looked into her breasts. He happened to know she was wearing a red lace bra today, and he was trying to see if he could see it through the thin silk of her blouse.

"They invited you…" she was about to say more, but he cut her off.

"No. My MOTHER invited US." House began fumbling with the pens in her pen holder. "My father would be thrilled if you showed up without me." He looked at her, a twinkle in his eye. "I think he has a bit of a crush on you."

"And you said you had nothing in common with your father." She smiled at him. It sent his heart racing.

"I won't enjoy it." House was smiling back at her, despite his negative words.

"No one is asking you to enjoy it, House. It's a family dinner, what's to enjoy?" She was glaring at him, that glare that told him she wouldn't back down on this one. One thing he'd learned from years of working with Lisa Cuddy, she would give in a lot, but when she decided to put her foot down, no amount of his charm could get her to lift it.

"Fine, I'll go. But you owe me." House was intrigued by her words. His first instinct was to say something clever, tease her a bit, but then a better idea filled his head.

"I don't owe you anything," Cuddy protested, but it was too late. House was on his way out the door, his idea taking shape with each step. This might turn out to be a very interesting Thanksgiving after all.

1


	2. Setting His Plan in Motion

**SETTING HIS PLAN IN MOTION**

House hurried to Wilson's office. Wilson was alone, going over some charts, not that it mattered to House what Wilson was doing. "I need you." House hung in the doorway.

"Um, I respond better to dinner and a movie." Wilson looked up at his friend, and though he had no idea what House wanted, he began to get up.

"Yeah, yeah," House dismissed him. His mind was set on his goal; there was no time for foreplay. "You know that girl down in personnel? Mindy, Cindy, Windy…"

"Heather?" Wilson followed House down the hall, wondering where this was all leading.

"Yeah, Heather. The one with the giant…"

"Boyfriend?" Wilson cringed, remembering the time said linebacker warned him to back off.

House snickered. "Yeah, but she'll still do a favor for you, if you ask, right?"

Wilson stopped at the lift. "What exactly are you after House?"

"I need some information." House pushed the button a few times.

"What information?" Wilson eyed him.

"I'll tell you when we get there." The lift doors opened and House pushed him in. "Just…be charming."

Wilson made a face, but as soon as they walked into the personnel office, his face was nothing but charm. "Hi Heather." He smiled and waved nervously.

"Dr. Wilson?" She looked at him with a strange mixture of worry and flattery.

House nudged him forward." Flirt with her, keep her distracted," he whispered before sneaking around the corner.

"So…" Wilson leaned on the edge of her desk.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly.

House shook his head in bewilderment. How Wilson ever got laid was beyond him.

It didn't take House long to find what he was looking for. Say what you want about Heather and her giant…boyfriend, but the girl kept great records.

House pulled out the file marked Cuddy, Lisa and quickly flipped through the papers. Most of it was stuff he already knew about her, her resume, career highlights, exorbitant salary, the usual stuff. But there was just one thing he was looking for, and he found it.

The card read "Emergency Contacts: Jacob and Laila Cuddy, 312-552-8339." House committed the number to memory, then poked around a bit more, before rescuing his friend.

"Did you get what you were looking for?" Wilson asked, as the two men hurried away from the office.

"Yep." House grinned. "Did you know that Cuddy had 20/20 vision?"

Wilson groaned. He should have known this had something to do with Cuddy. "That's fascinating, but couldn't you have just asked her, rather than sneaking into her file?"

"Sure, but what's the fun in that?" House dumped Wilson off at his office, and hurried on to his own. He ignored Wilson's attempt to follow him by slamming the door in his face.

House hurried to his desk and sat down. If Cuddy wants to avoid her family for Thanksgiving, she should have thought of a better way then forcing him to spend it with his. They could have gone to Aruba. A long weekend of sand and nudity, sex on the beach, sex in the cabana, sex in the ocean, sex…well, anywhere BUT his parents House.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number floating around in his head. This was going to be so much fun.


	3. Overcompensation

Yay! Reviews already. I'm glad you're enjoying what I've written so far. This story just popped into my head this morning on the train, and demanded to be told. It should be a fun ride, some humor, some angst, some smut, and lots of Huddy!

I promise the chapters will start getting longer. LOL

I'd like to give special thanks to **Vanessa**, who is always giving feedback. It is much appreciated. I know you were reading a couple of my other stories, so thank you.

And **glicineglicine** when I get inspired, I tend to go a little crazy. So there should be frequent updates.

* * *

**OVERCOMPENSATION**

House pulled up in front of Cuddy's house only an hour late. He stopped the black Lamborghini Gallardo abruptly at her curb and honked the horn.

Cuddy shook her head in annoyance, and finished up the email she was writing. Then she made the mistake of looking out the window. "What the…" She grabbed her coat and bag and stormed out the door. "House! What the hell is this?"

"A car." House said, having extricated himself from the car to help her with her bag.

"This is not just a car House." Cuddy tossed her bag in the trunk beside his and slammed the hood.

"Well, no, it's a Lamborghini." He grinned like a school boy. "0 to 124 in 14.5 seconds."

"I don't care if it does my laundry and comes with a vibrator attachment House. You can't afford a car like this."

"It's a rental. And besides, I put it on your corporate card." He kissed her on the cheek and opened her door for her.

"You didn't." She looked at him in disbelieve. "Oh God House, tell me you didn't."

House looked at her sincerely. "I didn't." He hurried around to his side of the car and got in carefully.

"You don't even fit in the car House." Cuddy cringed as she watched the strapping six footer try to fold himself into the tiny sports car.

"I do too." He bit his tongue to avoid showing the pain that shot through his leg as it hit the steering wheel.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. "You don't need to over compensate House."

"I bet you say that to all the boys." He started up the engine and felt a shiver of excitement as it roared into action.

"Only the ones who try to hid the fact that they're an hour late with a flashy car."

"Don't worry. In this baby, we'll more than make up that hour." House pressed down hard on the gas, and the car flew down the street.

"HOUSE!" Cuddy grabbed hold of the door handle and the dash board. "Are you trying to kill me now?"

"If you don't stop bitching about the car I just might." House accelerated some more. Like many men, he enjoyed the rush of a fast car. He was also going to love the disproving look on his fathers face when he pulled up in this fast car. It would be even better than Cuddy's.

"Why couldn't we just fly to Ohio?" Cuddy was not done bitching yet, and she had no intention of stopping until they reached their destination.

"What? This isn't fast enough for you?" House revved the engine once more.

"Stop it!"

House laughed as they went roaring down the deserted street.

"I'm not bailing you out of jail this time."

"You didn't bail me out last time." He turned onto the highway.

"Exactly!" Cuddy turned toward the window, determined to ignore House for the rest of the trip. She knew she'd cave eventually, but for now she was just going to enjoy the blurred scenery and listen to House's ipod. At least he had good taste in music.


	4. The Bates Motel

**HuddyTheUltimate** hate to break it to you but yes, everyone knows they're dating, but I do believe that it will be every bit as fun to read. 

**glicine** I hope this is soon enough, and long enough, and hard enough and…oh, wait, that's the next chapter. Lol

Everyone else, as always, thanks for reading. And if you have any questions, go ahead and ask, and I will try to answer them when I post the next chapter. But no spoiler questions, please. I like to leave you all guessing. evil grin

**

* * *

**

**THE (BATES) MOTEL**

Cuddy woke slowly as the car pulled off the main road. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. When her eyes began to focus, she looked out the window. With a scowl, she then turned to House. "Where are we?"

"Hotel," House said softly, opening his car door with minimum enthusiasm.

"That is NOT a hotel House." Cuddy pointed toward the seedy roadside motel. "That is a horror novel waiting to happen."

"Cool." House was only half listening. When he'd rented the tiny, sexy little sports car, he hadn't taken into account the getting in and out of it part.

Cuddy watched, suppressing a laugh, as one of House's long legs unfolded out of the door. He had to maneuver his bum leg with both hands, wincing as a shot of pain drove through him. "You could help you know," he grumbled. There were few people...only two in fact, that House would allow to help him in such a situation. The other was his best friend Wilson, who was undoubtedly preparing for his Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving.

Amid a loud sigh, Cuddy got out of the car, shaking her head the whole way round, until she was looking down at him, hands on hips. "This is your own fault you know," she held out a hand and pulled him out of the car.

"I know." He slammed the door behind him. "But look at it. You can't tell me that's not a hot car."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She rolled her eyes. "But I'm not staying here." She looked once more at the run down motel.

"You can stay in the car," House brainstormed.

"I am not staying in the car!" She protested.

"Well, I'm not driving any farther tonight..."

"I'll drive." She lunged at his pocket, searching for the keys.

"Hell no!" He pulled away quickly. The last thing Lisa NASCAR Cuddy needed was a car that went nearly 200 miles an hour. He raced toward the door marked 'office'.

"We'd like a room," he said, rather sexily.

The front desk clerk looked at House and Cuddy judgmentally then spoke in a raspy, smokers voice. "You want that by the hour?"

Cuddy's eyes shot open but House just laughed. "Nah, she's cheap, I can afford the whole night." He winked at the craggy little letch, and tried hard to ignore the death grasp Cuddy now had on his arm.

"Suit yourself. That'll be $39.95, up front." The man hacked a cough and then extended the hand he'd coughed into.

"Too rich for my blood. You take care of it honey." House pulled out of Cuddy's grasp and headed toward a small stand covered in brochures.

Cuddy followed him. She leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I am NOT paying for this dump House. You wanna stay here, you pull out that Fort Knox you call a wallet and caught up the forty bucks." She gave him a 'that's my final answer' look, so he walked back over to the front desk and pulled out his wallet.

"She won't go down if I don't pay," he sighed, handing the clerk two twenties. "Oh, and I"ll need a receipt." He leaned against Cuddy, "I'm getting a receipt for my expense report, so you won't have to yell at me later."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll give me plenty of reasons to yell at you later."

"Yell under me you mean." He grinned. "Cause I'll definitely be giving you reasons to yell...under me." He gave her an exaggerated wink and she just groaned.

"Just get the key and come on." She headed for the door.

House followed her out onto the long sidewalk that led to the row of rooms. "Oooh, room six." House looked at the big plastic wedge that held the key.

"What's so great about room six?" Cuddy asked, not really interested.

"It's gonna have you in it." He grabbed her waist and kissed her neck softly.

She giggled and squirmed and pulled out of his grasp. "Oh no. No no no no no! I am NOT having sex in...THERE!" They had reached room six and she pointed to the tattered curtains that lay open, revealing an equally tattered looking room.

"Oh, come on," House unlocked the door. "This place has character."

"This place has...shag carpet?" She looked at the orange and brown room with disgust.

"It's retro baby." House shoved her through the door. "I bet you looked smokin' hot in the 70s. All hot pants and tube tops."

"House, I was kid in the seventies." She reluctantly sat on the edge of the bed.

"Come on, this place isn't so bad." House bounced down on the bed beside her and watched her quickly get up and move away. He sighed. "Wilson and I stayed at a place just like this a few years ago."

"Lucky you." She made her way to the bathroom. It had been a long day at work. She'd had to deal with House's patients complaint, wooing a new donor, and acquiring a heart for one of Dr. Turnbalm's patient. Not to mention preparing for her year end meeting. All she wanted was a long hot bath, but House had insisted on driving to Ohio instead of flying, so they had to leave Wednesday night, this night, and she had been denied her own bathtub.

She looked into the ring stained abyss of the motel tub and realized she didn't really need a bath after all.

"Ooooh, gonna take a shower?" House had come up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He loved doing that. Not only did he get to feel her ass pressed up against him, but he got a nice clear shot right down her shirt. Oh, and she felt nice in his arms too, but he didn't like to admit that last part. "Can I watch?"

"I am not, and no, you can't."

House grinned. "Afraid Norman Bates is gonna get you?" He made the screechy horror movie sound as he pretended to hack her to bits with a knife.

"Oh grow up." She pushed past him and back into the main room.

"Get undress, and I'll grow up all you want." He pulled at her top, where she'd had it tucked into her skirt.

"No House, not here." She looked with disgust at the bed. She didn't even want to think about what unidentifiable stains one of those CSI teams would detect on the sheets.

"You're no fun." House pouted.

"I know." She kissed his lips gently then opened her suitcase. "What time do you want to leave in the morning?"

"Monday," House answered, not wanting to go to his parents house at all.

"Nice try. Set the alarm for eight."

"On my day off?" House grumbled.

"Never mind." She came over and set it herself. Last thing she wanted was the alarm going off at eight the next night.

"You don't trust me," House pouted.

"No, I don't." She wrinkled her nose at him playfully then took her clothes into the bathroom to change.

House heard the water running and walked to the door. "I thought you weren't taking a shower."

"I changed my mind."

House opened the door slowly. She would have locked it if she hadn't wanted him to join her.

"Get out!" She was half undressed, and didn't try to cover up.

"Not a chance." House put his arms around her and unclasped her bra. He peeled it off to reveal his favorite breasts. "The bathroom is the cleanest part of any hotel room." He kissed the top of each of her breasts gently, going from one to the other, slowly working his way down to the tips.

"Really?" She didn't try to stop him. She might not be able to have a hot bath to help her unwind, but a hot fuck always worked well too.

"I wouldn't lie about something like that." House's hands had slid down as he lips did, and they were now on her hips. His fingers slid into the string of her thong, and he slowly lowered the last remaining garment from her body.

"Oh, never," she mocked, knowing full well he'd lie about anything.

"You are..." he was shaking his head, his eyes drinking in every inch of her body, at a complete loss for words.

"Going to get you back for making me stay in this dump." She turned away from him and stepped under the hot stream of water.

"I can't wait." House climbed in after her.

"House!" She turned toward him. "You're supposed to take your clothes off first." She was laughing out her words. No matter how long she knew him, he would never stop surprising her. "Though that does explain a lot." She pulled his sweatshirt up over his head. It was heavy and fell to the floor with a loud squish.

"I didn't want to deprive you of the honor." He said, watching her work the button and zipper of his jeans.

"I hope you brought a full change of clothes." She slid the jeans down over his thighs, her hands running along his leg. She noticed the imperceptible shudder as her fingers glided over his scar. His reaction to her touching it had gotten less and less noticeable, but it was still there. They just pretended it wasn't.

"Of course I did." House protested. Sometimes she really must think he was a child. "I'm not a complete idiot, even if I am sleeping with you."

"Oh shut up!" She slammed him against the back of the shower and plunged her mouth into his.

House pretended for all of two seconds to fight the kiss, but his mouth embraced hers. His hands roamed her body freely. No matter how many times he touched her, how many times he made love to her, each time his hands slid across her bare flesh he felt a tingle in his gut, he felt his heart skip in his chest.

"Now take your pants off and take me now," she demanded, "before I change my mind."

"Yes ma'am."


	5. Gratuitous Shower Scene

**GRATUITOUS SHOWER SCENE**

House kicked his jeans off, nearly stumbling over as he did. Cuddy watched, running her head under the steady stream of hot water.

"You're a very dirty girl," House said playfully.

Cuddy just laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that House."

"Are you challenging me?"

"Yes, I think I am," she smiled.

"Oh, you asked for it now." House grabbed her and turned her around. She felt the hot water pounding against her chest as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. House followed the stream of water, down over each of her pert breasts, cascading like tiny waterfalls over her already hardening nipples. House smiled. She was already anticipating what was to come. Her body waiting for whatever he wanted to give her.

He slid a hand over each breast, cutting off the water flow. His fingers rubbing over her nipples playfully, watching as she shut her eyes and leaned her head back into his shoulder. "You are so easy," he whispered in her ear.

"Shut up House!" She took one of his hands and guided it lower on her body. "And could you speed it up a little."

"No foreplay?" House let his hand follow the course she had set until his fingers reached the gentile curls of his absolute favorite part of her body. He grinned as his fingers tangled around in the soft tufts of hair. She groaned. She really was ready to get down to business.

House was not a man to keep a lady waiting...well, not when it came to sex. He slipped one finger between her swelling lips, gliding it back and forth slowly, feeling a wetness that no amount of shower water could have produced.

She twisted her neck so that her lips could suck sweetly on his neck and chin. He felt her feasting on his flesh as he let his fingers go in deeper. She arched her back and cried out. He had very long fingers. Something he was very proud of as a young man, and still was, really.

His fingers danced inside her, knowing all the right places to push, all the best spots to rub to get the result he was looking for.

He leaned back against the wall, and slowly, carefully slid down. He felt her melting against him, her butt cheeks gently cradling his dick, which throbbed with desperate tension.

"On your knees," he gave her bottom a little shove as he released her.

"Excuse me?" She turned to look at him.

"Face forward!" He demanded, tapping her bottom playfully. "You didn't want foreplay, so let's get to business."

"You don't have to be bossy about it." She protested, facing forward.

"No I don't, but I kinda like it." He smiled at her ass, which was looking him in the face. "I always knew this was your best side."

"HOUSE!" She protested, looking back at him.

"Do you want this or not?" He sounded harried, but he wanted it as much as she did, and she knew it.

"Yes." She turned and faced the faucet again. She felt his hand pressing down on her lower back. He was lowering her onto him.

He moaned as he felt her begin to surround him. The tip of his penis was the first to experience the warmth of her wound, coming down around him like a warm blanket. "Oh, yes," he said no longer in control of what came out of his mouth. "That feels amazing." His head leaned back against the cold hard wall with a thud.

Cuddy felt the hot water beating down on her back. She felt the hot steel penetrating into her. She closed her eyes, picturing things more pleasant than a bland motel faucet set into a white fiberglass tub.

She moved her body expertly, rocking back and forth on top of him, each motion was matched by a thrust down onto him and a subsequent pulling up. She could hear him moaning and breathing as heavily as she was. Each motion made her legs and arms that much weaker. The pressure of the water only heightened the experience.

House gripped the side of the tub, his knuckled white from the stress. His legs, raised on either side of the tub rim were tingling from lack of blood flow, but that just made what was going on between them all the more pleasurable. He felt Cuddy's thighs rubbing against his, felt her groin ebbing and flowing along his, he felt himself cumming quickly, felt the hot water adding to the excitement.

Cuddy stopped moving suddenly, her back arched deep, her pussy pressed tightly down on him. She screamed out in ecstasy as spasms of pleasure rushed through her body. Then she fell limp, twisting her body as she pulled herself off him, so that she was laying on top of him, her lips buried in his neck.

"I am so glad you're my girlfriend."

"Why? Cause you don't have to leave a twenty on the nightstand?" She spoke against his skin, the hot hair of her words raising the delicate hairs on his neck.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short. That was worth at least $25, maybe even $30, if you give me a blow dry."

She raised her head up and looked at him. "Excuse me?"

He grinned, quite pleased with himself. "I'll wash your hair for you."

"Lucky me." She remembered the last time he'd tried to wash her hair, and used conditioner instead of shampoo.

"I told you I'll read the label next time."

"Read it now." She pulled herself up to her feet. Her legs were a little wobbly at first, but she grabbed the wall for balance.

"Now?" House made a face.

"Yes, now." She held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. "And if you do a good job, then maybe you'll get your blow dry."

House looked at her for a moment, trying to read her thoughts. "It's not going to happen, is it?"

"Not tonight House." She shoved the tiny bottle of shampoo into his hand and turned around. "Now lather."

House did as he was told, massaging her scalp as he rubbed the shampoo in, perhaps a bit harder than was necessary, but hey, she shouldn't had dismissed the blow dry until AFTER she'd gotten her hair washed.


	6. The Road to Ohio

**THE ROAD TO OHIO**

House rolled over and threw his arm around the warm body beside him. Cuddy snuggled into it, still asleep. Being extra careful not to move, House leaned over her, and stretched his long arm over to the alarm clock. With a mischievous smile, he switched the alarm off, then wrapped Cuddy up in his arms and fell back to sleep.

A ray of sunlight woke Cuddy a few hours later. She pulled away from her still sleeping boyfriend to stretch. Her stretch was cut short when she saw the time. "HOUSE!" She slammed a fist down onto his bare chest. "You turned off the alarm!"

House, groggy with sleep mumbled, "no I didn't," then he put his arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him. "We must have slept through it."

She pulled away and inspected the alarm clock. "Yes, House, you did. It's off."

"You must have forgotten to turn it on." He was still groggy, and not ready for this argument.

"I double checked it House. YOU turned it off. Now get up. We're late." She was standing beside the bed now, and pulled the blankets off his body.

House groaned as the cool room air hit his naked body. "I don't wanna go," he whined.

"I know." She looked down at him sternly, but he looked so vulnerable, laying there naked before her, she couldn't help but smile. "Now get up."

House sighed heavily and pulled himself out of bed. She was in the bathroom getting ready by the time he rose to his feet. By the time she came back out, he was dressed, packed and laying in bed watching TV. "I thought you were in a hurry," he said, admiring the results of her work.

"Let's go," she sighed.

House followed her out of the room, watching her long coat sway and imaging what was going on underneath it.

"Do you need help getting in?" She teased, noticing him standing at the car door. The top of the car didn't come up much higher than his waist. It was like a toy. She sighed at the money he'd wasted on it, stifling the smile as felt as she climbed into the hot little vehicle.

"I do NOT need you're help," House snapped, practically throwing himself into the drivers seat to prove his point. He huffed around a bit, trying to get comfortable, then cranked up the music and took off.

Cuddy turned toward her window and smiled. He was adorable when he got annoyed.

They rode in silence for a while, not needing to say anything, taking turns singing along to various songs.

Finally House pulled the car off the highway.

"Where are we?" Cuddy woke up from a brief nap to look around.

"Harrisburg."

"Why did you get off the highway?"

"Get something to eat." House was scanning the street, looking for the Denny's the billboard had promised him.

"We're going to be eating at your parent's house." Cuddy looked at her watch. It was already ten.

"Have you ever tasted my mothers cooking? No, didn't think so. Ooh, look, there's a Denny's." He pulled the Lamborghini into the parking lot and slid easily into a parking space. Cuddy had a feeling he was trying to impress her with his precision, so she ignored it.

"House, you're mothers cooking can't be that bad."

"Yeah, fine, you can stay here. I'm going to get some pancakes. I'll leave the windows cracked." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, then wrapped his hand over the top of the car and pulled himself up. This was getting easier.

Cuddy got out of the car and slammed her door. "Don't forget to lock it," she snarled, heading into the restaurant without waiting for him.

House let her go, standing by the car for a moment. He waved at the two young women checking him out across the parking lot, then swaggered toward the building. Sometimes he hated his limp. He heard them giggling as he walked through the door.

Cuddy had already gotten a seat, and waved him over.

"I'm surprised you didn't hide behind your menu," House snided as he slid into the booth.

"I thought about it," she smiled.

When the waitress came, Cuddy ordered a tea and some fruit. House ordered a large breakfast meal. When the waitress left, Cuddy glared at him.

"What? I'm hungry."

"We are still going to your parent's house, right?" Cuddy was starting to have doubts.

"Of course. I said I'd go, and I always keep my word." He smiled innocently at her.

"Since when?"

House looked at her for a moment, "Um, since this morning." His face lit up. "Besides, I've got a surprise for you."

Cuddy's face dropped. "No."

"Yes."

"Oh God, House, why?" She dropped her head in her hands.

"Because I love you." He pulled her chin up and kissed her across the table.

"Why me?" she groaned.

"I'm not sure if it's that kickin' body, or that thing you do with your tongue when…" she kicked him under the table as the waitress delivered their meals.

Cuddy had a hard time looking her in the eye as she put the food down before them. House was sliding his cane up her leg and she was finding it very distracting.

"Will there be anything else?" The waitress asked politely.

House looked over at Cuddy. "Anything else dear?" His cane had met resistance when she slammed her legs shut.

"No," she said curtly.

The waitress headed off, wondering if she was going to get a tip from that couple.

"Don't do that again." Cuddy pushed the cane away from her.

"You loved it." House grinned.

"I would LOVE it if you wouldn't do it again."

"You're no fun."

"Yeah, that's why I'm with you." She shoved a forkful of seasonal fruit in her mouth.

House ate as slowly as he could, much to Cuddy's great annoyance. She was done, and tapping his fingers before he'd finished his scrambled eggs.

"You're not going to be hungry when the turkey comes out."

"I never am." House made a face. In truth, his mother's cooking was superb, but it suited him better to pretend it was awful, at least until he finished his pancakes.

A few minutes passed, Cuddy had her head resting on her hand, watching him eat. She was tapping the fingers of her other hand on the table impatiently. She rolled her eyes but refused to look away when he started chewing with his mouth full. Instead she just tapped her fingers harder against the table and stared at him.

"Did you want some?" House said now that there was one bite left. He then popped it in his mouth before she could answer. "Oh, sorry."

"Can we go now?"

"Gotta pay. Unless you're suggesting, WE LEAVE WITHOUT PAYING," he said the end bit very loudly and got several stares.

Cuddy grabbed the check and stormed off to the cashier.

They were back on the road after House took an extended potty break.

"We're going to be late." Cuddy looked at her watched about an hour later.

"I know." House pressed down on the gas.

Cuddy grabbed his arm. "I'd rather be late then dead House, slow down."

"That's rich, coming from you." He smirked, but slowed the car down.

"I'm driving home." Cuddy informed him.

"The car is only insured for one driver."

"I'll be the only one driving."

"Whatever you say, darling," he oozed sarcasm.

"If only you meant that."

"If I meant that, you'd have dumped me by now." House knew Cuddy well enough to know, she didn't want a yes man. She wanted a badass. She always grew bored of her good guy boyfriends, but she had always come back to him. She liked the challenge, and he was more than happy to give it to her.

She had no witty comeback. He was right. For some unknown reason, she loved him just the way he was.


	7. Meet the Parents

Awe, **HuddyTheUltimate**, I love you too. Lol

Have lots of chaps to put up today, well, by lots I mean three. Here is the first one. I have to proof the next two before they go up. Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**MEET THE PARENTS**

Blythe fussed with John's tie until he slapped away her hands. "You're just messing it up. Let me do it." John turned into the mirror and with marine precision adjusted his tie to perfection. "They're late." He turned to his wife for approval.

"They're not late, dear, remember? We moved it back an hour?"

"You mean Greg moved it back an hour," the old man said bluffly.

"Yes, dear, Greg asked if we could move it back because Lisa's parents are driving down from Chicago. I think it was very sweet of him to invite them." She began to dust off his shoulders for no apparent reason.

"Hmmm, well, I'm sure he's up to something." He saw his wife's disproving face. "That boy is always up to something."

"John," his doting wife said patiently, "Greg is hardly a boy anymore." She took a step back and looked him over. She was pleased with what she saw.

"Did I finally pass inspection?" John asked glumly.

"With flying colors," she beamed. He smiled back at her. Their moment was interrupted by a loud sound outside.

"Stupid kids," John grumbled, marching out the front door to yell at whatever teenager thought it was funny to race down the otherwise quiet residential street. "Oh hell!" He groaned when he saw the black sports car in his driveway. "Blythe, come see what your son has gone and done this time."

Blythe came out, ignored the car completely, and threw her arms around her seated son. He'd gotten the door open, but that was all he could accomplish before the woman who gave him life attacked him. "I'm so happy you made it Greg." She kissed him warmly and ignored his attempt to push her off him. He could feel Cuddy grinning at his discomfort as she got out of the car with ease.

"Hello Mrs. House, Mr. House." She nodded at House's parents respectfully.

"Oh, Lisa, call us Blythe and John." Blythe came over and hugged the much too thin woman, feeling her arms and shaking her head in disapproval. "Well, we'll have to make sure you get seconds."

John came over and after grudgingly shaking his sons hand, he hovered in front of Cuddy, clearly unsure what the boundaries were. It was House's turn to snicker at Cuddy's discomfort as she tried to anticipate what John was going to do.

"Oh, John, she's practically family. Give her a hug." Blythe shoved her husband into their guest and he embraced her quickly, then stepped back and resumed his rigid military stance.

"I want to thank you both for inviting me to dinner. That was very kind of you." Cuddy handed Blythe a bottle of wine she'd brought as a thank you gift. "I wasn't sure what you needed, for food..."

"This is fine, dear, thank you." Blythe handed the bottle to John, and walked the not so young lovers into the house. "Your parents should be here shortly..."

House dropped his cane. SHIT!

"My what?" Cuddy looked back at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Surprise," House said meekly.

As realization washed over Cuddy's face, it met anger, and they got on like a house on fire, which was something she'd like to see at the moment, namely Gregory House on fire. "You didn't?"

"Gregory, you didn't tell her you invited her parents?" Blythe seemed surprised, but John was making an 'I told you so' face behind her.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," House said weakly. He should have known not to tell his mother anything. "Thanks for ruining it."

Cuddy shot daggers at House then turned to his parents with a smile. "You know Ho...Greg. Full of surprises." She continued into the house with Blythe, but shot House a warning look that said 'you better stay as far away from me as possible'.

"Well, the more the merrier I say," Blythe went on, oblivious to the tension now filling the room.

John walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. House walked over and joined him.

"Didn't tell her, huh?" John said disapprovingly.

"Nope."

"I take it she doesn't get along with her parents?" John filled two glasses with ice.

"Nope."

"Well, you two have that in common then." John poured whiskey into the two glasses.

"I get along fine with Mom." House took the drink his father shoved into his hand.

When they turned back, Cuddy and Blythe had gone missing.

Blythe was taking Cuddy on a tour of the house. They started in the back room, where Blythe informed her she and House would be staying. "I hope that's alright dear. I just assumed you'd want to stay in the same room."

"The day is young," Cuddy grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. This is fine." Cuddy plastered a smile on her face, but it lacked that usual sparkle in her eyes. It was enough to please Blythe, however, so they moved on.

House sat down at the stand up piano and plunked at a couple of keys. "It's out of tune."

"No one uses it." John sat down and turned on the television. "You watch football?"

"Baseball."

"Figures." John mumbled something about a sissy's game and flipped through the channels till he found what he was looking for.

"Thinking man's game. You wouldn't understand it." House mumbled something about mindless thugs and began fiddling with the piano wires.

"Leave that alone," John complained, turning up the volume on the television.

"I'm tuning it." House stuck his head back in amongst the wires.

"Why? No one is going to use it."

"I might." House snapped. Now he would, just to spite his father. "After dinner."

"What? So we can all sit around and have a family sing along? Who are you trying to impress? Lisa?" John laughed.

"I'll be impressing her much later on tonight, but that's really none of your business." House hammered extra hard on one of the keys to test it.

"Don't be vile." John turned up the volume some more.

Blythe led Cuddy back downstairs, and into the living room. She put her hands over hear ears to drown out the competing sounds of a loud television and angry piano tuning. "Would you two please stop it?" She didn't shout, and wasn't even particularly loud, but her message got through and both men returned to reasonable noise levels. "Thank you." Blythe smiled, and Cuddy suspected it was as fake as her own.

"Now, I'm going to check on the turkey, John, why don't you show Lisa your collection?"

"Oh God," House groaned.

"Collection?" Cuddy looked around for an answer.

"Dad makes miniatures, tanks and things. It's a hobby." House explained flatly.

"It's nothing," John seemed like he would have blushed if he knew how.

"I'd love to see them." Cuddy knew that would piss House off. She smiled as she followed John into the basement.

House sighed and headed into the kitchen. "Didn't I tell you it was a surprise, Cuddy's parents coming?" He dipped a finger into the gravy and licked it off.

His mother slapped his hand playfully. "That's for the turkey. And no, you didn't say anything about a surprise."

"I'm pretty sure I did." House looked around for a spoon, and stuck that in the gravy.

"Greg!" Blythe swiped the spoon right out of his mouth. "You have to wait like everyone else." She tossed the spoon in the sink and went back to work.

"Well I meant to." House sat down and watched his mother cook.

"So?" Blythe, assured that everything was cooking on schedule, sat down across from her son, wiping her hands on her apron.

"So what?"

"You and Lisa? Is it serious? Is there a special reason you asked her parents to join us?" She nudged him in the arm.

"It was cheaper than buying her something." House looked at his mother with concern.

"Something like a ring?" Blythe wanted grandchildren before she died. She had been hopeful when he moved in with that Stacy girl, but nothing ever came of that. But Lisa, she brought new hope. She would have beautiful babies with Greg.

"A ring?" House knew what she was hinting at, and he refused to play along. "You'll just have to wait and see like everybody else. It wouldn't be fair if I told you now. Besides, you can't keep your mouth shut." He got up. Back in the day he could have run off before she could say anything, but those days were long gone.

Blythe got up and beat her son to the door, stopping him in his tracks. She looked up into his big blue eyes, and he almost felt guilty when he saw the trickle of a tear in hers, until she spoke. "You would make such beautiful babies together."

"Some family lines are meant to die out." House pushed her aside and stormed into the living room.

The doorbell rang, saving him from any further discussion with his grandchild crazed mother. "Ah, you must be Dr. and Mrs. Cuddy." He smiled at the attractive couple standing before him. He was right about Mr. Cuddy. He had definitely married Lisa's mother for her looks.

"Call me Leila." Leila walked in and gave him a gentle hug.

"I'd rather call you mother," he teased. She giggled.

"You must be Gregory House," Dr. Cuddy said, all business.

"Only on weekends and holidays." House grinned.

"Jakob," his wife warned.

"Can I call you Daddy?" House held out his arms, waiting for a hug.

"Over my dead body," Jakob replied.

'Don't tempt me,' House thought.

Cuddy came up the stairs from the basement and stopped dead in her tracks. John nearly crashed into her, causing her to move into the room.

"Mom, Dad." She nodded to her parents.

"Well?" Jakob looked around the room. "Why are we here?"

"Jakob," Leila warned. She had obviously told him to be on his best behavior, and he was obviously failing.

"Nice to see you too Dad." Cuddy walked over and gave them each a perfunctory hug.

"Lydia was devastated when we cancelled on her." Jakob complained.

"I'm sure she was." Cuddy sighed heavily. She would have preferred her parents go spend Thanksgiving with her younger sister as well. It's clearly where they wanted to be, playing with their grandchildren and rubbing her once again pregnant stomach.

"Your father's just cranky dear. It was a long drive." Leila was trying to be the peace maker. Suddenly she realized she was still holding the bottle. She came over to Blythe and held it out. "I brought some champagne."

Cuddy looked at her. "What's that for?"

"I thought we might want to celebrate, later." Leila's eyes fluttered over House before looking back at her daughter. Then she shared a motherly smile with Blythe and they ran into the kitchen like old friends.

"What does she think there is to celebrate?" Cuddy watched them go.

"You're mother thinks...well, I told her...oh, never mind. She'd kill me if I ruined the surprise." Her father watched the two women go in thinly veiled contempt.

"What surprise?" Cuddy looked at her father, then at House. Something was going on. House was clearly up to something, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it, whatever it was.

"He has no idea what he's talking about." House took the older man by the shoulders and led him to the couch. He gave him a gentle shove toward his own father, who was glued to the game.

"House, can I talk to you in the other room?" Cuddy didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed House and pulled him into the bedroom.


	8. Packback is a Bitch Named Cuddy

**PAYBACK IS A BITCH NAMED CUDDY**

Cuddy slammed the door and turned on House. "What is going on? Why are my parents here?"

"I invited them." House stared at her. She was getting flushed, and her eyes sparkled with rage. She was stunning when she was angry.

"Why?" She threw her hands in the air and shook her head in confusion.

"To get you back for accepting my mother's invitation." House slid a hand along her waist and got slapped hard for the effort.

"You aren't putting your hands on me for a very long time!" She meant it, at least in that moment she did.

"Oh come on Cuddy, they can't be that bad." He really, really wanted to touch her, now more than ever. It was the whole forbidden fruit thing. The more she was off limits, the more the unquenchable desire was to throw her down and ravage her.

"Yes, House, they can." She was turning it over and over in her head. "I can't imagine why they agreed to come."

"Well, they might have thought something was going to happen tonight." House clenched his fists. The urge to reach out and grab her was messing with his head. He couldn't even lie straight.

"What did you do House?" She saw the look of desire in his eyes and backed away, out of reach.

"I might have hinted at something." He took a step forward. She took another step back.

"Hinted at what House?" Her fists were clenched, and like him, it was because she wanted to touch him, but unlike him she wanted to touch him with great force, in the face, with her fist.

"Well, they seem to be under the impression that I might be making some kind of announcement tonight." He could read her intentions in her eyes and grabbed her arms before she made contact. The result was her trapped in his embrace, which, from his point of view, was not the worst thing that could happen.

"Are you?" She looked terrified; too terrified to even bother struggling to escape. She just stood in his arms staring at him.

House let out one abrupt burst of laughter before turning deadly serious. "Do you want me to?"

He was so close to her that she felt his words breathing out of his mouth. She blinked. "No. Do you want to?"

"Hell no." He heaved a sigh of relief. That was too close.

"Good," she said uncertainly.

"Great." He felt her relaxing in his arms. "You know, except for the fact that our parents think we're about to get married." He tried not to smile. He felt her tensing up again.

She wanted to be mad, she wanted to be furious. She should be furious. He'd misled her parents and lured them here under false pretenses, and just told her he didn't want to marry her, but in fairness she didn't want to marry him either, so she shouldn't hold that against him.

Speaking of holding against him...she felt something pressing against her leg. "House!" She tried to pull away, squirming in his arms.

"I didn't do it on purpose." He knew exactly what she was talking about, and shifted slightly so it fell in a much better place.

She tried so hard not to laugh, but it was hard to stay mad at a man who became spontaneously aroused by you in the middle of an argument. She smiled at him, and slid her hand between them. House grinned. He knew she couldn't stay mad at him.

He let her go, feeling her fingers work at his zipper. One minute he was standing there, looking into her vibrant eyes, his manhood being handled by her delicate fingers, the next he was alone, his manhood jutting into the cool air of the lonely bedroom.

"Bitch!" he called after her as she ran out the door.

All he heard was her laughter in reply.

Cuddy walked casually back into the living room a moment later. The two old men were sitting on the couch watching football. She walked into the kitchen, doubtful they'd even known she was there. The two women were chatting at the kitchen table.

"Oh, there you are dear." Blythe got up and went to the stove. "Where is Greg?"

"He might be a while," Cuddy smiled at sat down next to her mother. "So, you chose to visit me instead of Lydia for once. Why?"

"Oh, Lisa, dear, you should be happy your mother is here." Bythe was still stirring her gravy.

"I am. I just want to know why she came." Cuddy looked at her mother challengingly.

Leila sighed. She was used to her daughters challenging ways. Lisa was never satisfied until she knew everything about everything. She'd always been a curious child; far too curious at times. It's no wonder she'd been alone for so long. "Your father and I just wanted to see you."

"Right." Cuddy nodded. "It didn't have anything to do with something House might have said?"

"You don't call him Greg?" Blythe looked confused for a moment.

"Sorry, Greg." Cuddy corrected herself. In a house full of House's she was going to have to get used to calling him by his first name.

"You've had a fight, haven't you?" Her mother looked at her with disappointment. "What is it this time? Is he too tall? Won't shave? Forgot your birthday? Does he part his hair on the wrong side? Seriously Lisa, you're going to have to make compromises if you want a man in your life."

"I have a man in my life mother, and I don't have to do anything. He happens to love me despite what a horrible person you think I am."

"I don't think you're horrible Lisa." Her mother fretted. "I just worry that you'll die alone."

Blythe kept stirring her pot. Her gravy wouldn't have a single, infinitesimal lump in it by the time she was done.

"Thanks Mom." Cuddy rolled her eyes. "But there are worse things in life than not getting married."

"Shhh." Her mother looked around nervously. "You shouldn't say things like that dear. Not now."

"Why not now?" Cuddy challenged. House had gotten her angry, and now she wanted a fight.

"He might hear you."

"Who might hear me?"

Blythe and Leila both looked up behind Cuddy. She knew that could mean only one thing and when she turned around; there he was, holding a newspaper in front of his groin. She bit her lips and had a private laugh. His words interrupted her.

"I need to speak to Cuddy, alone." He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room.

"You can't leave me like this." He lifted the paper to show a full on hard on.

"You got yourself into it; you can get yourself out of it." She really tried not to laugh, but she was failing miserably.

"I'd rather get myself into you, and get myself out of you." He pulled her close, rubbing up against her.

"Oh, that's charming." She rolled her eyes and pulled away.

"Did you tell them?" He really looked like he was in pain. She almost felt bad for him.

"About your uncontrollable woody?" She snickered. "Uh, no."

"That's not what I meant." House glared at her. He had seen her do it enough times to him that he had perfected it.

"I know." She smiled. She liked seeing him at a disadvantage. It was rare, but when it happened, it was priceless. "Now, your mother said dinner was about ready, so let's go eat, shall we?" She headed for the door.

He pulled her back. With a grin he offered, "how about an appetizer?" and looked down at his pole.

"Sorry, I'm full from breakfast." She kissed his cheek and dragged him into the dining room. He snatched the newspaper quickly on their way out the door and held it in place awkwardly.

"So sorry we're late. You know how it is when you're in love." Cuddy batted her eyes playfully and leaned her head on his shoulder. She saw the mothers gush and the fathers look away. This was going to be fun.


	9. The Main Course

**THE MAIN COURSE**

Everyone sat down and John said grace. Blythe and Leila had laid out the table beautifully. Everything anyone could want, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, home made cranberry sauce, glasses of hot cider, the table seemed endless.

House leaned over to pick up the tray of candied yams and groaned. His still hard penis rubbed against his pants.

"Are you alright Greg?" His mother fretted over her only son, as mothers so often did.

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth, glaring at Cuddy from the corner of his eyes. "Never better in fact."

"Here, let me get that for you Greg," Cuddy smiled at him as she reached over and picked up the tray, strategically placing her breasts in his face.

"That's so kind of you, thank you Lisa." House grunted when she 'accidentally' nudged him as she sat back down.

"Anything for you dear." She smiled at him, and he didn't like the twinkle he was seeing in her eyes.

"Anything?" He perked up.

"Go ahead, you can ask me anything." She was baiting the hook. The mother's nearly squealed with delight.

House saw his mother out of the corner of his eye and balked. "Maybe later." The mother's faces fell.

"Take your time. We've got all day." Cuddy cut a piece of turkey and forked it into her mouth to stop from grinning.

The father's moaned. They would much rather be watching football than whatever game this was.

Cuddy leaned over him, her hand pulling on the edge of the little tent his pants had become. "Oh, excuse me darling." She grabbed the pitcher of cider and straightened up in her seat. Her hand came back up and helped the other pour some cider. "Do you want some?"

"I always want some…but I could use something a little bit stronger, if you know what I mean." He looked hopefully at his father.

"Get me one too, while you're up," John said unhelpfully.

Cuddy snickered as House rose from his seat, napkin held firmly over his privates. "Get me one too," he grumbled as he headed toward the drinks table.

She finally took pity on him and got up to help him. "Having fun yet?" She whispered in his ear.

"Loads," he grumbled, not looking at her.

She slid her hand across his crotch. He felt a tingle shoot through his body. Damn her!

"Just checking." She smiled, her hot breath tickling his ear. "I'm curious, how long to you plan on keeping it up?"

"That's entirely up to you, darling." He drained his glass then poured himself another.

"I know." She shot him the most adorable smile, then took the two glasses and headed for the table.

House took a moment, pretending to straighten up the bottles and willing his penis back to a flaccid state. Realizing the cause was hopeless, he took his napkin and hobbled back to the table, his limp more pronounced in an attempt to cover up his massive endowment.

"Greg, is your leg getting worse?" Blythe looked genuinely concerned.

"Dr. Cuddy has been monitoring my medication again. She won't let me have my pills." House shot her a dirty look.

"If you want to take a pill House, you go right ahead." She then said more quietly, "but I'd avoid the little blue ones if I were you." Her eyes shot down under the table, then up again.

"You're evil," he whispered to her.

"I learned it all from you."

As dinner progressed, House felt himself slowly coming back down. Being around his parents was definitely helping kill the mood that had gotten him into this situation. His mother had grilled him on everything from his lack of phone calls to his personal hygiene. His father mostly moaned about missing the game, but managed to throw in random jabs at House's chosen profession and lack of friends. The Cuddy's mostly spoke of Lydia, her kids, her unborn twins and her devoted husband of ten years. The bragged about her recent trip to Athens as a second honeymoon, and how they'd watched the grandkids while she was away.

"I've always told my girls, we're always here to take care of the kids when they need to get away. And I gave them all the advice a mother could possibly give. There's no reason at all for them to not give us beautiful little grandchildren."

House winced as Cuddy winced. He knew that couldn't have been easy for her to hear. Just a year ago she'd gone through hell trying to have a baby. He wondered if they knew that. He was about to ask when he felt her hand on his thigh.

She knew exactly what he was thinking, and would do anything to get him to keep his mouth shut. She slid her hand up his leg slowly, hoping it was enough to distract him. It seemed to be, but she leaned over anyway, and whispered in his ear. "Please, just let it go."

He looked at her for a moment. Her eyes looked watery. He felt her hand tightening on his leg, trembling slightly. He placed his hand on hers, letting her know that he understood, then, satisfied that she'd gotten that message, he slid her hand over onto his still throbbing penis, hoping she'd get that message.

He let go of her hand and went back to eating. After a moment he felt her pull down his zipper and he smiled. She really was the best girlfriend ever.

Cuddy slipped her hand into his pants, passed the silk boxers she'd gotten him for his last birthday. He hadn't wanted to wear them, saying that only gigolos and pansies wore silk boxers, but she'd insisted, and once he felt the soft material floating against his privates, he never complained again.

She slid one finger down the length of his shaft, while taking a sip of cider. Anyone looking would have no idea what she was doing under the table. She seemed so relaxed and easy. She was even having a conversation now with his father. He tried to block out his fathers voice as he felt her fingers slowly slipping around him.

He put down his fork and knife and leaned back in his chair.

"Are you done Gregory?" His mother's voice ruined the wonderful moment when Cuddy began to tickle his balls with the tips of her fingers.

"Full," he managed to squeak out between spasms of delight.

"He ate too much at breakfast," Cuddy informed her not soon to be mother-in-law.

"You ate breakfast?" Blythe was offended. "Gregory House, how many times have I told you not to have a big breakfast on Thanksgiving?"

"It's an insult to your mothers cooking," his father added.

Cuddy sat back and smiled, watching House squirm in his seat as she fumbled around in his pants.

"Oooh," he gasped as she pulled down on his dick like she was gently milking a cow.

"What is your problem boy?" His father protested.

"Leave him be, John. He probably has a stomach ache from eating too much." Blythe looked at her son with loving eyes. "You men never do grow up, do you?"

House shook his head in reply, afraid to open his mouth.

Cuddy offered to help clear the plates as Blythe and Leila stood up.

"NO!" House grabbed her arm and wouldn't let her move.

"Greg is right, dear, you are a guest. Stay and relax. You are looking a little flushed. Are you sure you had enough to eat?"

"She's fine, mother," House snapped.

After over an hour of pent up tension, he was about to explode, and he was not going to let Cuddy get away until the deed was done.

Cuddy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. It was a sweet kiss that got an awe from the mothers. Then she slid her hand high up on his shaft.

That was it, he couldn't hold on any longer. He grasped the edge of the table and groaned loudly. Screw it. He didn't care who heard him, or what they thought.

"Greg! Are you alright?" His mother came rushing over. She put a hand on his sweaty forehead. "You're burning up."

"He's okay Blythe," Cuddy assured her, feeling slightly guilty about worrying the older woman. "He's just had a stomach cramp."

"Maybe he should go lay down," John said, masking his concern.

"Yes, I think I should…go lay down." He put his arm around Cuddy's neck.

"I'm not carrying you House."

"Just...help me," he said feebly, milking the sympathy of the elders.

She sighed. "Come on." And dragged his tired body into the bedroom.


	10. Mother Knows Best

**MOTHER KNOWS BEST**

Once they reached the bedroom, House grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. "You're going to pay for that." He jumped on top of her.

"House, our parents are in the other room." She pushed him onto his back and scurried back to her feet.

"So? They can keep themselves busy planning our wedding." He grabbed her by the waist as she was trying to get away, and pulled her back down onto the bed.

"What if your mother comes to check on you?" She squirmed as he nuzzled her neck, fighting the urge to giggle.

"That's easily fixed." With his arm still tightly around her tiny waist, he dragged her to the door and locked it. "Any other issues we should take care of first?" He didn't wait for an answer. His mouth sunk deeply into hers, his body pressing hers against the door.

He walked her back to the bed and lowered her onto it, his mouth never leaving hers. She tried to protest, but only for appearances sake. With expert hands, he pulled her sweater up over her head; his mouth sucking deeply on hers. He could feel her responding beneath him. He let his lips slid gently over her neck. It was her spot; the one spot that he knew could drive her wild.

He finally pulled away, sitting up and looking down at her. He slid his hands up her skirt, pulling it up past her knees, over her thighs. He smiled as she lifted herself up just a fraction, so he could pull the skirt up to her waist.

She tried to move, but House grabbed her arms, holding them down over her head and looked down at her. One hand continued to hold her arms firmly in place while the other slid painfully slowly down the length of her body. She moaned with delight at his touch.

"House, they're going to wonder what's taking so long," she felt his fingers dance across her breasts and shivered beneath him.

"Yeah, probably," he was distracted. He was looking at her perfect body, now covered in only the scantiest lace and a pair of thick tights. "What sadist invented these things?" He protested as he tried to pull them down with one hand. "Oh, screw this!" He was about to tear them off when the door made a sound he did not like at all.

"Greg, are you alright in there?" Blythe's voice sing songed through the door.

"I'm fine Mother."

"The doors locked, dear," she jiggled the handle again.

"I know, Mother." House watched sadly as Cuddy got up and pulled down her skirt.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Blythe's voice was beginning to sound worried.

"You'd better let her in." Cuddy pulled her sweater over her head as he unlocked the door.

Cuddy headed into the living room. The fathers were sitting on the couch watching the game. Her mother was sitting on the loveseat, watching her expectantly.

"Are you alright dear? You look a bit flushed." Leila called her daughter over to her as only a mother can.

"I'm fine Mom." Cuddy did love her mother, really she did, it's just, sometimes, well, her mother had these expectations, and no matter what Cuddy did, no matter how successful she became, she just couldn't live up to her perfect sister Lydia.

"I've got pictures from little Jake's birthday party, come, sit down." Leila Cuddy wouldn't take no for an answer. Perhaps, if Lisa could see how adorable her nieces and nephew were, if she could see how happy Lydia was, maybe she'd stop being so rebellious and start a family of her own.

As Cuddy sat down to listen to her mother's thinly veiled lecture about a woman's place in the world, in the other room House watched his mother sit down on the bed beside him, ready to give a thinly veiled lecture of her own.

"Are you sure you're feeling better dear?" Blythe put her hand on his forehead.

"Much." House pulled away.

"Well..." he could see her calculating her best plan of attack. "Perhaps it was just nerves."

"I have no reason to be nervous Mother."

"Oh Greg, I'm your mother, you can't fool me." Blythe smiled so sweetly he almost felt bad about the misunderstanding he'd planted in all their heads.

"Wanna bet?" House said quietly, but he could see she had heard him.

"Lisa is a lovely young woman." Blythe cooed.

"She's not that young, and once you get to know her, she's not that lovely either," House snarked.

"Oh Greg! Don't talk that way about the woman you're..." she stopped suddenly and looked very, very guilty.

House arched a brow. "The woman I'm what?"

Blythe lowered her head and giggled like a schoolgirl. Then she looked up at him with guilty eyes. "I'm sorry Greg. I know you wanted it to be a surprise but,"

House waited but she seemed to have run out of words. "But what, MOTHER?" House glared at her teasingly.

"Oh Greg." She threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy for you."

House groaned under the weight of her hug, and all it meant to her. "Don't be." He waited out the hug a few more moments before freeing himself.

Blythe looked panicked. "Did you...did she...oh Greg!" She looked like she was about to cry.

CRAP! House thought to himself. He had no problem deceiving Cuddy's parents, no problem lying to his father, but damned if his mother didn't make him feel guilty as hell. "I didn't ask her yet." He was thrown by his own use of the word yet.

"Oh." Blythe couldn't help but smile. "Oh Greg, I just know she's the one. And, well," she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out something small. House's heart sunk. "This was your grandmothers, and her grandmothers. It's been passed down every other generation, and well, now it's yours." She thrust the small velvet box into his hands. "To give to your fiancé."

House's eyes widened at the word. This was getting way out of hand. He opened his mouth to speak, to set his mother straight, but she looked so...so...happy. He took the box and opened it, and stared in disbelief at the simple diamond set in a delicate silver band. Cuddy was going to kill him. Or maybe she'd say yes. No, she'd kill him.

Blythe misunderstood the look on her son's face. "You don't have to use it. If you've already picked out a ring..."

"No. It's beautiful. Thanks Mom." He kissed her cheek and hated that she was the one person he couldn't stand up to.

When he walked into the living room he saw Cuddy sitting beside her mother, a look of desperation on her face. He wanted to rescue her, but then he remembered the little trick she'd pulled on him, and let her sweat it out.


	11. Dessert

**DESSERT**

A few minutes later Blythe called everyone into the dining room. "Dessert is ready," she said with a proud smile. It wasn't often that her and John had their son over for the holidays, and even rarer that he brought anyone. This really was a Thanksgiving to be remembered. Her face lit up and she rushed out of the room.

She was back a moment later with the digital camera John had gotten her for their last anniversary. "Everyone gather round." She ignored all the groans and mumbles and motioned everyone together. A few snaps later and she let them all go.

As soon as the flash went off, everyone disbursed. The table was glorious, filled with pies and cookies and cakes. Blythe had been so excited about the prospect of a 'family' Thanksgiving that she went overboard. Poor John had suffered through a week of baking, unable to sample any of the goods until now.

He stacked his plate with pumpkin and apple pie, a hand full of peanut butter cookies, two brownies and a slice of German Chocolate cake. He'd have to come back for the rest. Cuddy hid a smile behind her hand when she saw House fill his plate with the exact same fare.

House motioned for her to sit beside him. He had a happy grin on his face and seemed a little too enthusiastic so she headed for the other side of the table and ended up across from him. He frowned at her, and she smiled back knowingly. Did he really think it was going to be that easy?

House's hand slipped into his pocket. He felt the small velvet box his mother had given him. His eyes flickered toward Cuddy then away just as quickly and he cursed himself for even thinking such a thing.

"Lisa dear, would you like some more cider?" Blythe was walking around filling glasses with fresh, hot mulled cider.

"Thank you Blythe," Cuddy smiled. Her eyes kept darting toward House. She had the strange feeling he was watching her. "Everything is delicious."

"Thank you dear." Blythe fought the urge to hug the girl. She'd always wanted a daughter.

"You should put dates in this pie." Leila said after a big swallow. "Lydia uses dates, and it adds just the right bit of texture." House's eyes darted to Cuddy just in time to see her wince slightly.

"Did you know that more people die from choking on nuts in pies than food poisoning each year?" House informed the room. His father rolled his eyes, his mother groaned and Cuddy tried not to laugh. It was a valiant effort, but she knew it would be lost on her mother.

"Oh, Lydia chops them up. It's all very safe." Leila informed them, placating any worries they might have.

"Of course she does," House muttered under his breath.

Cuddy got up to get another brownie and was quickly met at the buffet table by her father. "She can't help it you know," he whispered to her conspiratorially.

"I know," Cuddy said. She didn't bother to add that it didn't really make her feel better.

Jakob put some assorted cookies on his plate. He looked over his shoulder, at the table, at House. "I don't know what you see in that guy." He was muttering, but he intended her to hear him.

"I love him, Dad," She looked over at House. He was sitting next to his father, not saying a word. He looked back at her and smiled weakly. He was clearly having as much fun as she was.

"Does he treat you well?" Her father looked in her eyes, looking for any sign that she wasn't being completely honest with him.

Cuddy stared at her father. That was a loaded question. If he had any idea how House treated her, he'd probably take the man out back and kill him, but that was just a shallow view of her relationship with House. "He makes me happy Daddy."

Jakob rumbled something and shook his head. "I don't know why you couldn't find a nice Jewish boy…"

"Dad," she warned. "If you tell me one more time that I'm breaking my mother's heart I'll put you in a coma."

Jakob smiled and kissed her forehead. "I told your mother we should have stopped at one."

"Go eat your dessert." She might have sounded annoyed at her old man, but she wasn't.

"I love you Princess."

"I know Dad. I love you too." She sighed and headed back to her seat.

She shook her head privately when she saw her mother descend upon her poor father. He would no be attacked with a dozen questions. She hoped her father was lying his ass off. The thought of dear old dad filling Mommy in on what a horrible man House was made her laugh.

"I don't expect you to," House snapped at his father. Everyone turned and looked. Even John tried to make it seem like his son had gone off his rocker. "What?" House glared back at all of them until they went back to eating, all but Cuddy who continued to focus her gaze on him. He glared back at her and made a face.

House felt his mother looking at him. She'd been glancing his way all evening, looking for signs of the great announcement. He could feel her nearly jumping out of her skin with excitement. House avoided her gaze. He was also avoiding Cuddy's gaze, and his fathers. He looked toward Mrs. Cuddy. She looked back at him with contempt. He could read 'you're ruining my daughter's life' in her eyes so he looked away, toward her husband. He just looked amused.

"Greg," Jakob said into the quiet room. "I'm going out for a cigar. Care to join me?" He smiled jovially.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cuddy shaking her head violently. She was mouthing the word no. He pretended to ignore her as her protest became more urgent. "I'd love to Mr. Cuddy." He got up and tucked in his chair. "I think we might have a lot to talk about."

"I totally agree." Jakob rested his hand on Cuddy's shoulder for just a moment as he walked past her.


	12. Man to Man

**A MAN TO MAN TALK**

The two men walked silently outside. Jakob wordlessly fumbled in his pocket, pulling out two cigars. He handed one to House then slid the other into his mouth. For a moment they puffed away, eyeing one another suspiciously. "She's watching us." Jakob laughed and turned toward the kitchen window just in time to see Cuddy duck out of view. "She's afraid of what I'll say to you."

"I'm sure she's more afraid of what I'll say to you," House was ready to compete. Jakob Cuddy didn't stand a chance.

"My daughter is quite fond of you." Jakob spoke in a deep, measured voice, listening to his own words carefully.

"I'm quite fond of her too. Especially when she's naked." House grinned his most lascivious grin. Jakob, however, did not take the bait.

"I've tried to figure out why," the elder man spoke into the night, a ribbon of smoke pouring from his lips, "but I can't think of one reason why she would want to waste her time on a guy like you."

"I can think of one rather big, throbbing reason," House tried his bait again, but again Jakob did not bite.

Jakob turned to look at him. For a long moment he studied the face of this tall, thin man. It was a tragic kind of face, marked with pain and suffering. He was exactly the type of man Lisa went for, tortured, brilliant, rebellious, all the things that would make her life harder than it had to be. "She could do so much better." Jakob sighed.

"She does quite well, actually." House knew he was no great catch, but he wasn't a leper with turrets or a murderer with any strange fetish. He puffed slowly on his cigar.

Jakob shook his head. He could feel the desperation coming off the slightly taller man. House was looking for a fight. Jakob wasn't in the mood to give him one. He had more important things on his mind. "My wife and your mother seem to think you're going to propose to Lisa tonight." Jakob let the words fall out in a billow of smoke.

House studied him curiously. "And you don't?"

Jakob laughed gently. "You're not the marrying kind."

"No. I'm not." House turned and looked out into the backyard, trying to see whatever it was Jakob was staring at in the distance.

"So, why did you mislead Leila and me? What reason did you have for bringing us here?"

House now understood where Cuddy got her brains, and her distrust. "I wanted to surprise her."

"What did she do to you?" Jakob's voice held enough amusement that House knew that Jakob knew that this had not been intended as a pleasant surprise.

"She made me come here," House answered honestly, surprising even himself.

They both laughed a bit together. Jakob hadn't made any comments about trying to get along with his family, or that he should be grateful he still has both his parents or all the other things people had been telling him his whole life under the ruse of being helpful.

"If it were up to me, I would have stayed home all together." For years that had been Jakob's dream, but Lydia always made them come over, every year, Thanksgiving AND Hanukkah. It was all he could do to get out of New Years. One of the nice things about Lisa was that she'd moved AWAY from home, not just down the block. "But I guess it's an improvement over Lydia's."

"Really? This is an improvement?" House was impressed. He'd never thought of his parent's house as an improvement over anything. Well, maybe Guantanamo Bay or being trapped in a lift with Cameron after she's read another of her self help books, but other than that, a holiday at his parent's house was one of the levels of hell he didn't like to visit.

"I love Lydia and the kids don't get me wrong, but I'm an old man, all I want to do on Thanksgiving is stuff myself full of turkey and sit back and watch the game."

"Throw in some war talk and you and my father would be perfect for each other."

The conversation fell into a lull. Both men focused on the red glowing tips of their cigars, trying to think of how to bring up what they wanted to say.

"So, what are your intentions towards my daughter?" Jakob's words smacked House upside the head after the rather long silence.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to tell you that I intend to spend the rest of my life making her happy?"

"That is what most parents want to hear," Jakob mused noncommittally.

"Is that what you want to hear?" House's words were combative.

"I want to hear the truth." Jakob's eyes fixed on House's. He was a man who clearly meant what he said.

"Intentions are meaningless." House was lost in his own musings. "I could tell you I intend to give her the world. That doesn't mean it will ever happen. I could say I intend to spend the rest of my life with her, but people change and a lifetime can be a long commitment. If you want the truth, all I can say is that I intend to spend the night with her tonight. I intend to pleasure her in ways no father should ever hear about. I intend to wake up with her in my arms tomorrow. After that, I cannot say without lying or making promises I might not keep." He frowned. "Come to think about it, I can't say without a doubt that I will even do what I intend to do tonight."

"Your relationship, it is a volatile one?"

"You could say that." House smiled. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think I'm starting to see why my daughter loves you." Jakob knew Lisa well. He knew that she grew bored easily, that she never took the easy path, that she liked to be challenged. House certainly seemed to fit the criteria. "Do you intend to marry her? I don't mean right now, I know you don't intend to propose tonight. I know that was just part of a game. But someday…"

"As you said, I'm not the marrying kind." House out.

"And as you said, people change." Jakob shot back.

"Some things don't change." House puffed on the stub of what was once a cigar.

"Scary isn't it?" Jakob let out a small laugh.

House turned to look at him, his bright blue eyes burning into the old man. "What?"

"Being in love. It will make you do things you never thought possible." House didn't respond, nor did he leave, so Jakob went on. "I know my daughter, she won't ask you to change. For whatever reason, she's in love with you." He looked toward the Heavens for an answer, but found none. "But you have to change, when you commit to someone on some level you change, you grow. It's a beautiful, wondrous thing, but you have to be ready for it." He gave House the once over. "And I don't think you'll ever be ready for it."

"You don't know me." House spoke through clenched teeth. He was cursing the rebellion inside him that wanted to prove this man wrong.

"I know men like you. You're not as special as you think you are Dr. House. You're just a big rebel who refuses to grow up."

House narrowed his eyes. Jakob didn't look angry. He remembered having a similar talk with Stacy's brother Rick. Rick had thrown him through a wall.

Jakob grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving. "Dr. House, I'm looking out for my daughter. I've seen her heart get broken before."

"She doesn't need you to protect her." House tossed his cigar to the ground and stomped it out. He was done with this conversation.

"I know." There was suddenly such a sadness in Jakob's voice that House almost felt bad for him. "But I love her, and she loves you, and I don't like the idea of you holding her happiness in your hand."

"It's not her happiness I hold in my hands," House was lashing out, channeling his inner child and trying to hurt this man who was hitting much too close to the deepest truths.

"You make everything a joke." Jakob rolled his eyes. His daughter really did have the worst taste in men. "Is she a joke to you Dr. House?"

House's eyes glared. "She is everything to me." He spoke without thinking. Jakob had provoked him into the truth and he hated him for it.

Jakob smiled triumphantly. "That is all I wanted to know." He clapped his hand on House's shoulder. "Maybe there's hope for you yet." Jakob's fingers dug into House's muscle. "Mind you, if you break my little girl's heart I will break you neck." House felt a sudden pressure on his shoulder. Jakob was exerting very little effort but had hit just the right nerve to send a shooting pain through House's body. "Do we understand each other?"


	13. A Picture Perfect Postcard

**A PICTURE PERFECT POSTCARD**

Cuddy groaned "Oh Dad, not the death grip." She hurried out the back door as a cool blast of November air ripped through her.

Even though he hadn't heard her, Jakob removed his hand from House's shoulder. He remembered all the talks he'd had with all her boyfriends over the years, her nose pressed to the window, trying to figure out what was being said, always running out to save her date as soon as dad used the Vulcan nerve pinch.

"Hello dear, we were just talking about you." Jakob leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Yes," House leaned over and kissed her other cheek. His eyes never left Jakob and he saw a smug smile cross the man's face.

Cuddy looked nervously from her father to her lover. "I'm not even going to ask. Why don't you come inside, it's cold out here." She saw the two cigar butts lying in the snow. They were clearly done talking.

Jakob was the first to head inside. As he passed her, he leaned into Cuddy's ear and whispered, "I like this one."

Cuddy watched him go, then turned a beaming smile toward House.

"What?" House said nervously, pulling her freezing body into his arms.

She looked up into his face, still smiling brightly. "He likes you."

House's face fell. "You're going to dump me now, aren't you?"

"Dump you?" She kissed his lips gently. "What have you don't this time?" She looked playfully suspicious.

"Girls like you always dump the guys their fathers approve of."

"Girls like me?" She inquired.

"You know, the ones who pretend to be all sweet and innocent, but are just waiting for the right guy to come along and unleash their wild side." His hands had inched their way to her ass, and he gave her a good squeeze.

"Is that what you think you've done? Unleashed my wild side?" She batted her beautiful blue eyes at him.

"Oh, I know I have." His hand was slipping up under her sweater. She wasn't wearing a coat, and the cool air that accompanied his hand sent a chill up her spine. She shivered pleasantly in his arms. He warmed her up with a kiss. He could think of a lot worse ways to spend the rest of his life than in the arms of this woman.

A tapping on the window disrupted him from what he almost thought he might possibly be ready to maybe do. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief and slid his hand back out of his pocket. That was too close.

"I'm serving hot cocoa and tea and coffee," Blythe called through the thin glass.

House released Cuddy and walked her back into the house. He rubbed her arms to warm her as they were met by the inviting warmth of the heated kitchen.

"Let me help you with that," Cuddy hurried over and took a tray from Mrs. House then followed the woman into the living room where everyone else had gathered.

House watched the two women leave the room. His fingers were flipping the small velvet box over and over inside his pocket. With a funny little smile, he followed them, his eyes watching the sway of Cuddy's hips.

She must have felt his stare, because she turned and looked at him, a frown of confusion on her brow. He smiled and nodded that he was fine, then came over and put his arm around her waist.

"What did my father say to you?" She was studying him. Something was clearly on his mind.

"Just that he'd kill me if I hurt you." House kissed her forehead, but it was just to stop her asking questions.

"Right?" She decided not to push it, though she knew there was more to this story.

"Oh Greg, why don't you play us something on the piano?" Blythe was so thrilled to have her son home. She wanted to show him off to her guests.

If Cuddy hadn't looked up at him encouragingly he probably would have crushed his mother's hopes, but she did, and gave him a little shove in that direction, so House trudged over to the piano and sat down. "I'm NOT playing Christmas carols."

"No one asked you to dear, just play what you like." Blythe was so happy to see her son comply that she didn't really care what came out of the instrument at this point. She sat down on the arm of her husbands chair and blew on her cup of coffee.

The Cuddy's sat together on the couch. Dr. Cuddy was whispering into his wife's ear. She didn't seem to care for what he was saying, but since both sets of eyes were glued to their daughter, it wasn't hard to guess what it was.

Cuddy walked over to the piano with two cups of hot chocolate. She placed one down and sat beside House, the other cup warming her hands. She watched him play.

House rarely played for people. Piano was his passion, it was an outlet for his stress, his anxiety and his sorrow. When he played, he poured himself into the keys, changed his emotion into a series of notes and chords. That was something he didn't like to share.

Cuddy could tell he was holding back. She could see it in his tense fingers and arms. She could feel the controlled passion around him like a shield. Still, watching him play, even with a small part of his soul was mesmerizing.

She watched his long fingers glide across the keys. His eyes were closed half the time, his hands moving instinctually back and forth. The only instruments she had learned to play as a child came out of her father's medical bag.

Lydia had been the talented one, music, singing, dancing, she had done it all. Always the lead in the school play, countless talent trophies. Mrs. Cuddy had dragged Lisa along to Lydia's countless lessons, hoping something would stick, but Lisa usually ended up sitting in the corner reading a book, or studying the bodies of the dancers and rattling off the different bones and muscles in her head.

She had taken to ballet when she was very young. She loved the gracefulness and the power of it. Alas, her body did not take well to the dance, and an injury cut short any glimmer of a dream of becoming a ballerina. After that, all Lisa could imagine being was a doctor, just like her father.

House switched melodies effortlessly, losing himself in the music. He had wanted to be in a rock band when he was young. Buddy Holly had died a few months before House was born, but that hadn't stopped young Greg from picking up a guitar and learning every song on every one of his fathers Buddy Holly albums. It was really the only thing him and his father had in common. John House had great taste in music.

John let a secret smile spread across his face as his son began playing Maybellene. "Chuck Berry," he said proudly to his wife as she squeezed his hand in reply.

Anyone looking in would have seen the perfect family Thanksgiving. No one would have noticed the tension causing House's shoulders to ache, or the argument silently brewing between the elder Cuddy's, or the years of repression that had made it impossible for John to tell his only son he was proud of him. All they would have seen was a group of people sitting around, listening to music and drinking cocoa. The picture perfect postcard of everything they weren't.


	14. Taboo

**TABOO**

House had stopped playing, and was now snuggled up beside Cuddy in the double wide chair. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and his hand resting on her hip. Everyone around him seemed anxious. He knew why they were anxious, but it hadn't yet prompted him into action.

"How about a nice game of Taboo?" Blythe felt uncomfortable in the lull that had fallen over them all. Every time House so much as took a breath she looked at him, expecting the announcement. Every time he didn't speak she felt a little bit more of her hope die.

"Oh Blythe, nobody wants to play that stupid game," John moaned.

"I'd LOVE to," House said exaggeratedly. He had bought his mother the game last year for Christmas. It was meant as a sort of joke, but she loved it, and tried to get a game going every time she had people over.

"John, go get the game from the other room. Lisa, dear, would you mind helping me clear the table?"

Cuddy got up and followed Blythe while John made a moaning production of searching for the cards, mumbling things under his breath that he intended no one to hear.

"Has Greg said anything to you dear?" Blythe handed her a plate from the table, and began piling it with forks and napkins and other miscellaneous items.

"Anything in particular?" Cuddy hoped she didn't mean what she thought she meant.

"Oh, you know, anything...special?" Blythe blushed as she put a few more things on Cuddy's pile.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up Mrs. House."

"I told you, call me Blythe." Blythe smiled warmly. Boy was Lisa in for a surprise. "You can just leave those by the sink if you would."

Cuddy dutifully brought her wares to the kitchen. As she dropped them into the sink she felt arms wrap around her waist, and a cold nose nuzzling her neck. She giggled and squirmed in his arms. "House, knock it off."

"Afraid my mother will see us?" He pressed himself up against her, making sure she felt his impressive bulge.

Cuddy flinched as an unexpected hard bulge pressed into her hip. She twisted around to face him and quickly shoved her hand in his pocket. "What's that in your pocket?"

House's hand shot down to her wrist, grabbing it tightly. "Nothing." Fuck!

Cuddy's brow creased in worry. "It's a velvet box." Her fingers had just brushed it before House pulled her away.

"It's nothing." House's eyes studied her face. Was she nervous, pleased, angry, he couldn't tell.

Mrs. House came sing songing into the room with another pile of dishes. "Oh, I'm interrupting." She dropped her dishes onto the table and scurried out.

House turned and hurried out after her, leaving Cuddy thoroughly confused. John was sitting at the head of the table, passing out pens and pads to the Cuddy's. House sat down and kept his head in the rule book, avoiding Cuddy's gaze as she walked over to him.

"House, I need to talk to you." Cuddy grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Can't. Games about to start. Be rude to leave my guests." He sat back down and this time when she tried to move him, he wouldn't budge.

"Fine, but we are going to talk later." She sat down in a huff next to him. She got huffier when she realized they were partners in the game.

Blythe and Dr. Cuddy seemed quite into the game, dragging their respective partners, John and Leila kicking and screaming through each round. House and Cuddy were both reluctant, but their competitive nature was making it hard not to give the game their all.

"John, you start." Blythe handed the cards to him. "It's the movie addition, so, I hope you all know your movies." Blythe smiled. She loved movies, and John still took her to the cinema at least once a month.

John picked up the first one and groaned. "Greg used to root for the villain."

"I always root for the villain," House interrupted and got a slap on the arm from Cuddy and a verbal slap from his mother.

"He wanted a coat like hers."

"1001 Dalmatians," Blythe said excitedly.

It was Jakob's turn. He pulled up a card and thought for a moment. "Harry Potter is a..."

"Wizard." Leila had bought the whole series for young Jake for his last birthday. She felt he was finally old enough to read them.

"And the show you never let me watch about guys in prison?"

"Oz." Leila jumped up excitedly. "The Wizard of Oz."

"Yes!" Jakob put down his card triumphantly.

He pushed the stack toward House.

"You gave me a hand job in the back row..."

Cuddy turned bright red.

"Oh, the time we didn't get caught."

Cuddy realized he would keep going if she didn't answer. "300."

"That's the one." House smiled proudly. That had been a good movie, well, not that he actually saw much of the movie, but it had been a good night at the movies.

Blythe pulled her first card and smiled. This was going to be easy. "About the event you were part of five years before Greg was born."

"MASH." John said proudly. The game couldn't be all bad, if it had something that important as a part of it.

"That was too easy," House groused.

"Oh, wait your turn, then you can complain," his mother teased as Mrs. Cuddy picked up her card.

Mrs. Cuddy looked at it for a long time.

"You're time is running out Leila," timekeeper Blythe said playfully.

"We took Lydia and the kids to one last summer." Jakob blinked at her. Unlike his wife, he did not memorize every moment he spent with Lydia's offspring. "Bekka got scared when she saw the...it's big, and has a long nose?" Leila was getting annoyed at her husband. He should have gotten the answer by now.

"Elephant," Jakob said triumphantly, thinking he was done.

"Yes, the...that..." it was one of the forbidden words, "which you find at the..." she glared at him, trying to send the answer to him through telepathy.

"Zoo!" He finally got it, but it was too late. Blythe had just called time. Leila threw her card at the deck and pushed the pile toward her daughter.

"Come on Cuddy, don't mess up," House kidded, but got an annoyed look from Leila. He ignored it.

Cuddy pulled out a card and sighed. She stared directly into House's eyes, almost challengingly, then said "the thing in your pocket".

"The Ring," House replied, staring her down.

Blythe looked at her son breathlessly. Jakob smirked. John seemed mildly interested, and Leila, well, she looked disgusted. She had been so optimistic when she first got here, but had not taken to Gregory House the way she'd hoped. It was bad enough her eldest was about to marry a goy, but why this one? Was she trying to break her mother's heart?

Cuddy put her card back silently and turned to John, whose turn it was next. "You're turn."

John quickly pulled a card and was about to speak, but he was cut off as he knew he would be.

"What ring?" Leila looked at her daughter.

"Ask him?" Cuddy looked at House.

House sighed. He already had everyone's attention, but made them wait a moment longer before speaking. "I have an announcement to make." He looked at Cuddy who seemed to have stopped breathing.

He pulled the little box out of his pocket and looked down at it for a moment, then placed it on the table and slid it toward his mother. "I won't be needing that."

All eyes followed the black velvet box as it glided easily across the smooth table.

"Greg," his mother cried as she looked at the small box as if it might explode.

"Now, if you will excuse me," he grabbed Cuddy by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "I think Cuddy want's to ask me something." He ignored all the gasps and questions and swept Cuddy out of the room.

Everyone's attention turned toward Blythe, who simply stared down at the box sadly.

"I told you not to interfere," John said.

"I wasn't interfering. I told him he didn't have to take the ring if he didn't want it."

"Well, apparently he didn't want it." John sighed.

"Why the hell not?" Leila had come all this way for nothing. She was slightly tipsy on wine, and pissed. "Isn't our daughter good enough for him?"

"She's lovely," Blythe tried to calm the tension in the room.

"She's too good for him," John added quietly.

"John! Don't say such things." Blythe snapped.

"He's right," Leila mumbled under her breath.

"Leila," her husband warned.

"Don't you Leila me. He dragged us all the way out here for nothing."

"Look." Jakob spoke calmly, "I think we all need to adjust our expectations a little." He took his wife's hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Greg did not actually tell you he was going to propose tonight, did he?"

Leila fumed. She hated when the truth interrupted her anger. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly." Jakob repeated.

John got up from the table and fixed himself a drink. He wanted no part in this conversation.

"And you, Mrs. House, did he say anything to you?"

"Well..." Blythe could have sworn he'd mentioned it. "I..."

"NO!" John answered for her. "You let yourself get swept up in some fairytale. It's not going to happen. Lisa is too smart to marry someone like him, even if he were stupid enough to ask her." John drained his glass and watched his wife's heart break. "I'm sorry Blythe, but you've got to get over this ridiculous notion that our son is normal. He's not. He's never going to be who you want him to be. You're never going to be a grandmother, you're never going to have your dream wedding. So stop doing this to yourself. Stop expecting something from him that he is never going to be willing to give."

"Oh John." Blythe burst into tears.

Leila rushed to her side, putting one comforting arm around her shoulders and handing her one of the folded tissues from her pocket. "Don't listen to him."

"Look, why don't we all just relax. Lisa and Greg seem happy the way they are. And isn't that all we really want? For our children to be happy? I know it's enough for me." He walked over and put his hand on Leila's shoulder. "Don't you see how her face lights up when he's around?"

"Yes," Leila admitted grudgingly.

"And all those little moments when they don't realize anyone else is around." He looked at Blythe who sniffled and nodded. He looked at John. "Maybe he's not the man you hoped he'd be. But he can't be all bad, not if my Lisa loves him."

"Is it so wrong to want them to get married?" Blythe couldn't let go of forty plus years of waiting for her only child's wedding. She believed in things like true love, and marriage. She believed in family and commitment. She wanted her son to be happy, but for her, it was hard to stop thinking of happiness as a long marriage, of the love and commitment she and John had shared for almost fifty years.

"It's not wrong, but it's not our decision. When he's ready, he'll ask."

"And meanwhile Lisa is supposed to waste what few child bearing years she has left waiting for him to make up his mind?" Leila was pissed.

"Believe me Leila, if our little girl wants him to marry her, she won't hesitate to make it known."


	15. Yes Lisa, There is a Hanuklaus

Finally, a new chapter. Sorry for the long delay but between being sick, Thanksgiving festivities and being trapped home with the puppies for five days straight, I simply didn't have time. But fear not, the story is back, and though there are very few chaps left, I am already planning the sequel, coming to a near you. :)

* * *

**YES, LISA, THERE IS A HANUKLAUS**

Cuddy stormed into the guest room and slammed the door. "What the hell was that?"

"What?" House leaned over her to lock the door, lingering as his cheek brushed her hair.

She pushed him away. "What were you doing with that ring?"

"Why do you just assume it was a ring?" He took a few steps toward her.

"Oh, wasit a nice pair of earrings?" She said sarcastically.

"Well, not NICE earrings." House took another step forward and saw her flinch.

"It was a ring House." She refused to fall for his tricks. "What were you doing with it?" She was holding her ground, refusing to back away from his approach. Even as his hand brushed across her cheek, she fought the urge to fall into his embrace, or push him away.

"Well, I certainly wasn't proposing to you," he snapped.

"Well, that's one thing I can be thankful for." She pushed his approaching hand away and turned her back on him.

House cocked his head to the side, realization washing over him. "You want me to." He took her arm and turned her to face him again.

"Well, I certainly don't now." She shoved him, choking back his anger.

"You want to be my wife," he teased.

"I want to be your widow," she spat.

"See," he said triumphantly, "you do want to marry me."

"Only a masochist would want to marry you House." She wanted to kill him at the moment.

He cautiously approached her, his eyes never leaving hers. He took each step carefully, making a point to limp a little more than necessary. "You, Lisa Cuddy, are a classic masochist."

"I am not a masochist." She cringed at his pain. Even as her mind was telling her he was manipulating her, her heart couldn't let her forget the part she'd played in causing him that pain.

"Twenty years ago everyone you knew told you to stay away from me. Instead you forced yourself into my life." He stood inches away from her; he could feel her breath on his chin.

"I never forced myself..."

"You wouldn't leave me alone," House embellished. "Followed me around like a love struck puppy dog…"

"I was NOT love struck!" He'd gone too far with that one. "You were a brilliant doctor, even as an intern. I wanted you to tutor me…"

"Oh, I know you did," he said, dripping sex.

"In diagnostics, House!"

"Pity."

"Not that you ended up being much help anyway."

"That's irrelevant now." House didn't want to discuss his single minded determination to get into her teenage pants. "Ten years ago, no one would hire me, yet..."

"I got you cheap." How many times did she have to tell him, it was nothing more than that?

"Cheap or not, I've gone out of my way to make you miserable and you still haven't fired me."

"You're a good doctor." She realized what he'd said and made a face. "And why have you gone out of your way to make me miserable?"

"I'm a great doctor. That doesn't change the fact that you thrive on the misery I bring you."

"I do not thrive on misery." She wanted to strangle him.

"Then why the hell are you with me?" One of the things that intrigued him most about her was her absolute refusal to admit he was a bad person.

"Because I love you, you idiot. Because underneath all your macho bullshit, you are a decent human being, and no matter how hard you try to pretend you're not, you can't fool me." She pushed her face towards his in that adorable way she always did when she thought she'd won.

"I love you too." His voice was so soft, and honest that it threw her for a second, which was exactly what he was going for.

House pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. He felt her melt against him, her arms reluctantly wrapping around him.

When the finally disengaged, she looked into his eyes regretfully. "We really do have to go back out there and tell them the truth."

"Why?" He was slowly walking her over to the bed.

"Because it's the right thing to do?" She took each step with him, not needing much coaxing.

"Since when has that ever been a reason for me to do something?" He pressed up close to her.

She sighed. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult? Why couldn't you have just asked my parents to come to dinner? No, instead you had to make up some lie about some big announcement. Now they're out there thinking you're proposing to me. What, exactly, do you plan on telling them when we do go back out there?"

"I didn't plan on going back out there," he moved in close and kissed her neck.

She pushed him away. "You have to go tell them the truth." She then turned him around headed him towards the door.

"No, I HAVE to see you naked." He tried to turn, but she hadn't let go of his shoulders.

"Tell you what," she rose onto her toes and whispered into his ear," you go tell my mother that this whole misunderstanding was your fault, explain to her that I had nothing to do with this and that we are not getting married, then, maybe, at some point in your life you might just get to see me naked again." She shoved him toward the door.

"You want me to go out there alone?"

She thought about this for a moment. "I'm not stupid House, I'm coming with you."

He opened the door and stood there for a moment. They could hear raised voices in the other room. House thought about Cuddy's naked body beneath him, then thought about the massive argument he faced in the other room. He promptly closed the door, not having moved an inch.

"House?" Cuddy protested.

"I'm not going out there." House walked over and sat on the bed. That was his final word.

"Why did I think for a minute that you were going to do the right thing?"

"Because you're gullible?" House ventured a guess.

"That was a rhetorical question House."

"I bet you believed your parents when they told you to be a good girl or Hanuklaus wouldn't come down your chimney with all your presents."

"Hanuklaus?" Cuddy shook her head sadly.

"You're breasts are distracting me." House reached out to touch one, but Cuddy slapped his hand back.

"No touching," she scolded.

"Please Mommy, I promise I won't break anything." House's hand slid up her sweater.

"You are going to break something, my mother's heart, and you're going to do it now." She pulled his hand out and dragged him to the door with it.

"You're cruel." House weakly tried to pull away. She was winning.

"I know, so don't mess with me." She pulled open the door.

The arguing was still going on. "You don't really want to go out there, do you?" House smiled at her, one foot still in the bedroom, refusing to admit defeat.

She looked at him. She could hear her mother's shrill voice from the other room "He dragged us all the way out here for nothing." The words stung. Most mothers might think that seeing the daughter who lived half way across the country for the first time in over a year was enough reason to spend one Thanksgiving away from the precious grandchildren, but not Leila Cuddy. She needed a 'good' reason to bother with her first born.

"No." Cuddy slowly shut the door.

"I didn't think so." House pulled her into a hug. He wanted to kiss her, to throw her down and ravage her, but that would have to wait. He could see in her eyes that what she really needed right then was a warm, comforting hug. He kissed her head gently as he held her in his arms.

Cuddy felt the tears welling, but she refused to cry. She had given up crying over her mother a long time ago. She had accepted long ago that nothing she did was going to please Leila Cuddy so she decided to live her life for herself. She remembered when she was eleven, telling her parents she wanted to be a doctor.

She used to sit and watch MASH with her father. Her mother disapproved, but Jakob told his daughter it was their little secret, one of many they would share over the years. The secret she never dared share with her father was her secret crush on Hawkeye Peirce. He was the iconic vision of the man of her dreams.

Between Hawkeye and her father, she couldn't imagine being anything besides a doctor. They were both surgeons, and for years that was her dream. Her mother tsked her, and told her she should become a nurse. And maybe she could meet a nice doctor to marry, and have a family and a white picket fence and all the other things Lydia ended up with.

What their mother didn't know, what Lisa didn't dare tell her, was that Lydia was miserable. Lydia was having an affair, and Lydia wasn't 100 sure the twins where her husbands. She never told her mother these things because Leila would only accuse her of lying out of jealousy.

That was when Lisa Cuddy decided that she was going to do what she wanted and be who she wanted to be, and if it wasn't good enough for her mother, if SHE wasn't good enough for her mother, well, that was just too bad.

House had no idea what was going through Cuddy's head, but he realized that the last thing he should do right now was try to sleep with her. So he stretched out one arm and locked the door, then he slowly maneuvered them towards the bed.

"I could slip out and tamper with their breaks," House offered helpfully.

Cuddy laughed. She was so grateful for the laughter that she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. "Let's not talk about them."

"Okay." House's face lit up as Cuddy stood before him, sliding the sweater up over her head.

"Let's not talk about anything." She slipped her hands behind her back and unhooked her bra.

"Okay." House caught it as she tossed it to him.


	16. The Ring of Truth

**THE RING OF TRUTH**

"Where the hell are they?" Leila looked down the dark hall. She couldn't see the door through which her daughter had disappeared, but she knew it was down there.

Jakob looked at his watch. He had an idea what they might be doing and he hoped to god he was wrong, because there were some things a father just didn't want to imagine his daughter doing. "We should get going."

"I'm not leaving here until I find out what his big announcement is." Leila was standing her ground by remaining in her chair.

"He's not going to make one," John said from the drinks table. "He's chickened out."

"He has not!" Blythe protested. "Maybe he just wanted to ask her in private." Her words were hollow as she stared at the velvet box in her hand.

"He gave you back the ring. He's not proposing." John tried to reason with his wife. He hated when she got her hopes up only to be once again disappointed by their son.

"Maybe he already picked one out for her." Blythe said hopefully.

"Maybe she's turning him down," Leila snapped. Part of her wanted to see this House guy taken down a peg, but part of her feared it was Lisa's last chance to land a husband.

"Maybe it's none of our business," Jakob tried to be the voice of reason, but came across just a little too snarky for his wife's liking.

"Jakob Cuddy, if it is not our business who our daughter marries, then, then..." she was too livid to finish her thought.

"Then it's time for us to go." Jakob had fetched his wife's coat and was draping it over her shoulders. "If we hurry, we will get to the hotel in time to call Lydia and the kids." He knew his wife well, and played her like a fiddle.

"Very well." Leila huffed, though she was delighted at the thought of talking to Bekkah, Jake and Dani. "If my ungrateful daughter comes out, tell her we left."

"And that we love her," Jakob added, meaning it for himself and hopefully his wife.

"Yes, of course," Leila said offhandedly as she headed out the door.

John closed and locked the door behind them. "Well, they were..."

"Lovely," Blythe said warningly, knowing that wasn't the word he was going to use.

"Well, it's certainly lovely to see them go." He pulled his wife into a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"You don't really think he's gotten cold feet, do you John?" Blythe looked into her husband's eyes with pleading desperation.

John shook his head. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. "I don't think he ever intended to propose. Nor do I think he should. He's still not ready to be an adult. I doubt he ever will be." John's words drifted off as he looked at an old family photo, the three of them, long ago. John had more thicker hair then, but it was cut short, military style. Blythe looked radiant, as she always did. She had a youthful glow that had faded over time, but still showed up when she was excited. And little Greg, their pride and joy, even at ten he was a lanky, beanstalk of a boy. Not at all suited for military activities, but strong, and athletic.

Greg thought his father wasn't proud of him for becoming a doctor, but that wasn't entirely true. John just didn't know how to be proud of that aspect of his son, and disappointed in some of the other life choices Greg had made. He just wanted his son to be happy, useful, to fulfill his true potential.

He tried to tell him this once, but it ended in a fight. It was the last time they ever tried to have a real conversation, just before Greg left home for good, off to Michigan, the only med school willing to accept him after the cheating scandal. So much potential, down the drain.

"What are you thinking?" Blythe looked up from his shoulder. She could tell John was somewhere far away.

"It's late. You should leave the cleaning up for tomorrow." John would help. He had no problem helping his wife clean up after a big meal like this, it was physical activity, labor, and no man should turn his nose down at some physical labor, in the kitchen or otherwise.

"But what if they…" she looked at him and sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Their bedroom was upstairs, and John playfully chased his wife up the stairs and into the bedroom. She let him catch her when they reached the bed, but before things got out of hand she pulled the small box out of her pocket. She went to place it on the night stand, but lingered.

"You really wanted this didn't you?" John said sadly.

Blythe nodded, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"I really am sorry, for you." He kissed her forehead.

"Be sorry for him too John." Blythe was crying now. "He's your son John. Be sorry for him." Wine and a stressful evening had gotten to her.

"I can't Blythe. He made his own choices." John really just couldn't lie, not even just to make her feel better.

Blythe cried into her hands, she opened the box, for one last look at the end of her dreams for her son. She sniffled. "It's not here."

"What?" John took the box from her and looked at it. He actually smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Well, there might be hope for that boy after all."


	17. Caught in His Own Trap

Warning: This is a steamy one. ;)

* * *

**CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP**

Cuddy let her skirt slide down her legs then stepped over it. House watched her, not daring to blink for fear he'd miss something.

"I hope you're not too full from dinner." She slipped one finger into the string of her thong, and slid it just a little over her hip. Then she stopped. She could feel the anticipation coming off her lover, and it turned her on even more.

"I'm never too full for a nice piece of ass." He grinned as she turned around to show him that ass as she bent over to remove her thong.

"You mean this ass?" She asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

"That's the one," he reached out to grab it but she stepped just out of his reach.

"Tsk tsk. I told you, no touching."

"That was then,"

"This is now." She grabbed his wrists and pulled him back onto the bed slowly, her body hovering just above his. "And if you want me, you're going to have to play by my rules."

"And those rules are?" He asked excitedly.

"You don't do anything until I tell you to." She pulled his arms up over his head. She reached over and grabbed one of the stockings she'd tossed on the bed. "Hold onto the bed post," she ordered, and he did as he was told, excitement building in his groin painfully.

She easily wrapped first one wrist, then the other onto the far ends of the headboard. He was surprisingly compliant and didn't protest when she tightened the bonds that now held him.

She was straddled over him, her slender legs pressed up against his still clothed hips. She began to unbutton his shirt slowly, taking great pains to undo each button.

He felt like he might explode already. He regretted letting her tie him up now that he wanted nothing more than to throw her down and have his way with her. Instead he had to wait impatiently as she pulled his shirt open and slid her hands under his tee shirt.

"Such a nice, strong chest," she said, her hands moving slowly over it, feeling the muscles in his stomach tighten as her hands slid down to the waist of his pants.

"Masturbation is great for upper body strength," he said lamely, kicking himself internally for such a stupid remark.

She laughed, her body wiggling on top of him in a most pleasant way. "Well, I can't wait to see what it's done to your other muscle." She unzipped his jeans and pulled the fly open. She laughed as the large tent popped up before her.

Shimmying down the bed, she pulled his pants off, yanking the legs down over his big feet. Then she worked slowly, removing his boxers with great care.

House unfurled before her, his shaft sticking high into the air. She looked at him from the end of the bed. He was lying before her, his bottom half completely naked, his top covered by the tee shirt she'd pushed up around his chin and the button down that was open to the sleeves. He was, even in that semi-dressed state, a sight to behold.

"Not bad," she said teasingly as she slid her hands up the inside of his legs. He felt all the hairs on his legs stand to a tension as she passed.

"Not bad?" He pulled his head up to watch her. "That's the best you can do?"

"It depends. Is this the best you can do?" She slid her hand along his shaft. Her tongue then slid along the bottom of his cock, leaving a moist, hot trail behind it. He felt himself harden even further. She was right. He could do a little better.

"Do you love me House?" She let her finger trail along his inner thigh, so close to his manhood, yet so very far away.

"Yes, I love you," he breathed, his mind losing all ability to think for itself.

"Do you want me House?" Her words breathed warm on the tip of his penis moments before he felt it plunged into the depths of her mouth.

"OH GOD YES!" He cried, his head tilting back into the pillow.

"Do you want to marry me House?" She kissed the spot right above his dick, where the soft tufts of hair faded away.

House's head shot up. "This is a trap!"

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, it is." She smiled then pressed her lips against the tip of his penis, opening them ever so slightly as she felt him pushing his way in. Then she pulled back. "I'm waiting for your answer."

She stood before him, at the end of the bed; her naked body glistened gently with the beginnings of a sex glow. Her eyes danced in the light as they looked at him with desire, lust, love and something else. Was it triumph?

House felt the cool air sweep over his naked flesh. He struggled with his restraints, but she'd tied them much too tightly for him to break free.

"Well, I guess I got my answer." She glared down at him, not at all pleased.

"Of course I do." He finally spoke the truth.

She smiled. "That's all I wanted to know." She climbed back onto the bed, between his legs, like a panther. She prowled up along his body, her hair falling against him, brushing along his skin and sending shivers of delight through his body.

Before he could say more, she leaned over and sunk her mouth into his. He groaned as her tongue pushed its way though the pearly gates of his teeth, searching the cave of his mouth for some unseen treasure.

He pulled at his restraints. He yearned to hold her, to feel her soft breasts in his hands, to touch her silky skin. "Damn!" he rattled the headboard loudly.

"Shhhh," she pressed her finger to his lips. Then she replaced her finger with her mouth. Her hands ran down his chest, over his shoulders, into the arms of his shirt, pulling at the already stretched material until a soft rip was heard.

"That's one of my best shirts," House protested, not caring in the least.

"I'll get you a new one." She pulled at it deliberately now, tearing at the tee shirt, ripping it in half to expose his full chest. "And a tee shirt." She smiled as her mouth came down on his shoulder, kissing and sucking at his skin.

"You better believe you'll be getting me a new one," House protested as her soft lips sucked slowly on his flesh.

"Mmmhmmm," was all she could manage to say as she caressed him with her mouth.

House closed his eyes, not to open them again until he felt her pull her soft lips away from his thigh. She'd worked her way down his body, and now she was going to stop?!?!

"Where are you going?" He craned his neck to watch her.

"Condom." She smiled at him, picking his jeans up off the floor. "If I'm not mistaken, you'll have one…" he watched as her face changed suddenly, then he remembered the ring.

He lost all ability to speak. He just lay there, staring at her, waiting for her to yell, throw it at him, anything.

She looked down at the ring. It was quite lovely, clearly an antique. A perfect round stone set in a band of tiny diamonds and silver. It reflected the light into her eyes. "Is this your mothers ring?"

"Grandmother's." House felt himself deflating in the air.

"The ring from the box?" She shifted uncomfortably onto the bed as if the weight of the ring were too much for her to bear.

"That's the one." House felt his freedom slowly slipping away and he was surprised to find it wasn't such a horrible feeling.

He watched her, looking at the ring, turning it over in her fingers. He tried to look in her eyes, but she was looking away, certainly protecting her thoughts from his penetrating stare. His mind was racing with thoughts it had no right racing with. Thoughts of her in a white dress, of holding her in his arms as they danced their first dance as husband and wife.

He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. The thoughts were gone. In their place were thoughts of her naked body dancing atop his. He had to get this night back on track before it was too…

"Why did you keep it?" She inched a bit closer to him on the bed. Her hand lay gently on his damaged thigh. She didn't notice him flinch at her touch. That's when he knew he was in trouble.

"I was going to pawn it. It's got to be worth something." If only she'd believe him and let it go.

"Propose to me, right now."

"What?" He did a double take.

"Propose to me." She leaned down and kissed him teasingly on the lips. The kind of kiss that held great promise but ended much too soon to fulfill that promise.

House fought the urge to say the words. She wasn't going to get him to propose, not like this. It had to be his way, on his terms. He was losing, and he didn't like it one bit.

"You might get lucky, I might say no." She smiled sweetly. There was no way she was going to say no.

"You won't say no." House grumbled.

"Oh, you think you're sooooo irresistible, don't you?" She swung one leg over his torso and sat down rather hard on top of him. He let out a grunt as her weight came down on him.

"I know I am." He grinned as he felt her shift her weight on top of him.

She slid her hands along his chest slowly, her fingers leaving a trail of heat in their wake. "I'm resisting you now." She felt him hard against her bottom, but resisted any urge to take him.

"You want me," he said knowingly, shifting himself beneath her, making sure she felt every inch of his erection.

She cocked her beautiful head to one side. "Maybe, but I can wait. Can you say the same," she rubbed her buttocks against his dick, letting the shaft nuzzle between her cheeks just enough to send a thrill through him.

"Fine, I'll marry you," he finally gave up. She had won. But he was going to make damned sure that he won the next battle.

"No." She dropped the ring on his chest.

"What? After all that!" He looked at her in total confusion. Had she just played him?

"Shhhh." She placed her hand on his mouth. "I don't want to marry you unless you really want to, and if you do, you can ask me properly." She kissed him passionately. "Later." Then she slid her body down the length of his, her tongue marking her path, leading her to the pot of gold at the end of his rainbow.

House groaned as she took him in her mouth. He strained at his restraints, arching his back and shoving his head into the pillow. She had teased him and made him wait too long, he was ready to explode.

"Ahhhhh," he cried out. He wanted to propose then and there, but he had more urgent matters to attend to. "It's..."

She knew what he was going to say and slid him out of her mouth. Her hands slid across his sticky body as she slithered up on top of him, easing him between her legs.

They had both forgotten about a condom as she pulled him inside her, the warmth of her body sinking down around him. She moved easily, dancing against him, twisting her body and gyrating to her own music.

"Marry me Cuddy," He breathed between spasms of pleasure. "Please!"

"I thought you'd never ask," she grinned down at him, her hands deftly untying his.

House grabbed the ring and her hand. "Is that a yes?" He had this sudden fear that she would say no. He would murder her then and there if she turned him down. She had to say yes.

"Of course I will." She leaned down and kissed him, then rolled off his sweaty, fulfilled body. They were both breathing heavily, their chests heaving up and down in unison as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Oh damn, it fits," House said almost on instinct.

Cuddy laughed. "Guess you're stuck with me then."

He grabbed her head in his two hands and pulled her into a deep, soul tingling kiss. "I can't wait to tell our parents how you finally got me to propose." He grinned, holding her against his body, never wanting to let her go.

"Don't you dare!" She hit his chest playfully, her hand staying where it landed. She was gazing at the ring now encircling her finger. It already felt so natural she had forgotten it was there and was surprised when the diamond glinted in her eye. "And I did not FINALLY GET YOU to propose."

"You had me tied down. Talk about desperate." House teased.

"You were the one who stole your mother's...grandmother's ring and hid it in your pocket. What were you going to do if I hadn't found it? Oh, did you plan on making a big speech, getting down on one knee..."

He looked hurt. "You know I can't do that."

She felt all the old guilt flood over her once again. It always did when he brought up his leg.

"I'd wind up trapped between your breasts and your crotch. I wouldn't know which end to propose to." He realized he'd pushed her button and actually felt bad about it this time.

"I'd think that would be your dream come true."

"It is." He grabbed her waist and turned her onto her back and under him where she belonged. He was more than ready for round two, their first time as an engaged couple. He was curious to see if the sex was any different when he realized he was stuck with her forever.

Cuddy squealed as House nuzzled her neck. His hands ran down her sides making her laugh.

"That tickles," she squirmed beneath him.

"Does it?" He did it again. She should have known better than to tell him something like that.

"Stop it House!" She pulled at his arms, trying to escape.

"Are you going to call me House when we get married?" He really couldn't imagine her calling him anything else.

"Would you prefer it if I call you Honey?" She smiled up at him as he wiped the hair off her sweaty face.

"I would prefer you to call me Oh God, preferably when you're on all fours."

"I've called you a lot of things House, but God will NEVER be one of them." She squealed as his hands ran down between her legs, quickly prying them apart.

"I beg do differ. You have called me God MANY times, and I can prove it." He slid his head between her legs, his tongue slowly slithering into her.

"Oh GOD!" She cried out, grabbing the pillow behind her head. Her body twisted in delight as she felt his hands slip under her, cupping her cheeks and forcefully pulling her toward him. His tongue flipped in and out rapidly.

She was used to foreplay, used to him taunting her, teasing her until she couldn't take it any longer. This sudden plunge into her depths took her completely by surprise and sent a shiver of pleasure through her body that she had never experienced before.

"Told you." He looked up at her, his hands still holding her ass inches above the bed. She felt one of his long fingers slid along the crack between her cheeks.

"House!" He had never done THAT before either.

"That's God to you missy." He let his finger slip a little more and she felt a sensation she didn't think imaginable. She tried not to think about what he was doing, because the idea of it seemed so repulsive, but she couldn't help but enjoy the new sensations it was sending through her body.

House slowly turned her over and she went easily. She felt him pulling her up onto her knees, and she obliged, assuming his favorite position. "Once we're married, you'll have to do this whenever I want you to," he told her, preparing himself for entry.

"I do that now." She exclaimed.

House, stroking himself into his full stature grinned as he looked at her, ass in the air, back arched, her dark hair falling over her shoulders. "Right. So why the hell am I marrying you?"

"Because you love me." She barely got the words out as he slid himself between her legs. He brushed against her plump lips before sliding into her wet pussy. She cried out as he pressed himself against her ass, his hips thrusting backwards and forwards. He was holding her hips tightly, and pulling her into him with each thrust.

Her arms were weak from holding her body up, her legs were trembling from pleasure. Her whole body wanted to give in and fall into an exhausted heap, but she stood her ground, feeling him fill her over and over, pulling out almost completely each time, making each reentry that more powerful.

House was grunting as he thrust harder and harder. His hands were squeezing her hips almost painfully, but she could feel nothing but the pressure between her legs, nothing but the mounting excitement building up inside her.

With one final thrust, he exploded inside her. His body threatened to give out on him, but he held himself inside her, waiting for the flood of passion to subside. She was breathing heavily. Her nerve endings were all freaking out, not knowing which way to turn. All her synapses were firing at once.

She felt House moving ever so slightly deep inside her. He was no longer thrusting hard against her, but making the tiniest movement, his hips swiveling in a way she didn't think possible for him. He reached the spot, the spot he always reached eventually, and she felt herself collapse onto the bed, her body twitching as her nerves danced excitedly.

House fell down beside her, quite pleased with himself. "I love you Lisa Cuddy," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too Gregory House." She leaned over and kissed him gently before allowing herself to drift off to sleep.


	18. The Morning After

**THE MORNING AFTER**

Mrs. House knocked gently on the door. "I'm making breakfast," she called out.

"Blythe, leave them be," John called her back into the kitchen.

"I'm worried. Maybe he's sick again." Blythe headed to the kitchen reluctantly, but kept glancing back at the guest room door.

"I doubt he was sick the first time," John grumbled, pouring two cups of coffee.

"What dear?" Blythe took her cup and kissed him on the cheek.

"Nothing," John grumbled.

House turned in bed, his arm was dead under the weight of his fiancé. "Get up," he yelled into her ear.

Cuddy jumped, startled from his sudden order. "What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes and noticed the ring. She tried not to smile too much.

"It's time to get up." House kissed her gently.

"Can't we just stay here for a few more minutes?" She nuzzled up against him.

It wasn't like Cuddy to not want to get up. "Sure." House's hand, the one that wasn't asleep, slid down and cupped one of her perfect breasts.

"Not for that House," she pushed his hand away.

"Then what for?" House saw no other reason to stay in bed.

"Because I'm not sure I can walk, after last night." She grinned at him, her beautiful smile lighting up the room.

"Oh yeah." House nodded proudly. "Who's the man?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You're the man."

"I am totally the man." He slid his hand under the covers. "How about a quickie?"

"How about some breakfast first, so I don't pass out during our quickie?"

"You can pass out, I won't be offended." House slid his hand between her legs.

"House, please," she pleaded. She pulled his hand out from under the covers.

"You don't have to beg Cuddy." He slid his hand back down under the covers, taking both of hers, still tugging at his wrist, with it.

"I can't..." she really was too tired for this. "Please..." she felt his fingers slid along her clit. Felt her juices being stirred up almost immediately. Maybe she wasn't too tired for a quick quickie.

House pulled away. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go eat." He dragged his naked body out of bed and wrapped it in a robe.

Cuddy fumed at him as she got up slowly and headed for her suitcase. "You're not wearing that to breakfast House, put some proper clothes on." She tossed him a shirt, and some boxers.

"You would rather I go out in my underwear?" He watched a pair of jeans come flying at his head.

"I want to see you dressed when I get back." She headed for the adjoining bathroom.

"I think you're confused, "he called through the door. "You should want to see me naked."

"I've seen you naked House, put your clothes on." She washed her face and looked in the mirror. The ring kept catching her eye and she looked down at it.

Mrs. Gregory House. There must be worse things in life than becoming Mrs. Gregory House. She tried to think of a few off the top of her head. Dying, going blind, probably some others.

"Hurry up in there, I'm starving." House banged on the door.

Cuddy sighed, pulled her eyes away from the ring and quickly got dressed.

"There you are!" Blythe gave her son a big hug, then wrapped her arms around Cuddy. She didn't fool anyone as she quickly looked down at Cuddy's hand. When she pulled away she was nearly in tears. "Did you have a good night dear?" She looked expectantly at Cuddy, then at her son.

Cuddy was about to say something, but House quickly cut her off. "Nothing special. Where's breakfast? Did you make me some of your famous pancakes?"

"Hardly famous," Blythe blushed. "You're sure nothing special happened, last night? When you left dinner?" She looked like she was going to die if they didn't tell her. "By the way dear, your parents said good night, and that they love you."

"That would be my father." Cuddy mused. She felt House watching her like an anxious cat, ready to pounce the moment she tried to spill the news. "By the way, your son prop..."

"About those pancakes," House jumped between the two women.

"I know." Blythe gushed. "Greg, I'm so happy for you." She threw her arms around him while he suffered through her embrace with a murderous face directed at Cuddy. She tried not to laugh.

John sided up to Cuddy and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Absolutely," Cuddy smiled back.

"It's your funeral." John muttered, walking away.

"A wedding!" Blythe was beside herself with joy. "Oh, I love weddings."

"Whoa, whoa, who said anything about a wedding?" House hadn't really thought that far ahead.

"That's what happens when you get engaged Greg, you get married, and married means a wedding." His mother was beside herself with joy.

"No, married means a piece of paper and the right to see her naked whenever I want." House hadn't thought about the whole wedding thing. Tuxedos, people who didn't really like him giving him gifts he really didn't need, lots of hugging, the first dance...

"We're having a wedding House," Cuddy informed him. If she was getting married, there was no way in hell she wasn't having a wedding.

House grumbled and it was John's turn to try not to laugh. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Oh, Lisa, would you like to call your parents? If they haven't left yet, maybe they could come over and celebrate with us?" Perhaps a wedding could mend the rift she felt between the Cuddy's and House's the night before.

"No, I'll tell them later. Knowing Dad, they're already half way home. Besides, I'm starving." She hoped that was enough to drop the discussion of her parents, and it was.

Blythe insisted that her son and soon to be daughter in law sit and she would serve them. She recruited John to do the actual serving while she cooked up some of her famous pancakes.

"Have you set a date?" Blythe couldn't help herself, she was much too excited not to talk about it.

"Whoa! Slow down," House warned. "No date, no wedding. We'll stop by the justice of peace on the way home..." even as he said it, he knew it wouldn't fly. He could see it in Cuddy's face.

"We don't need to rush anything."

"Oh, I adore a spring wedding, all the flowers blossoming, it's symbolic, reflecting your new life together..."

"We're already living together, there's no starting a new life together." House didn't like the formality of that thought. He really didn't want anything to change. He liked their life the way it was.

"Oh Greg," Blythe came over and put her arms around her sitting son's neck. She gave him a quick peck on the head.

"Was he always this stubborn?" Cuddy asked, knowing the answer would be yes.

"When he was a baby, he hated to be held. All our friends wanted to hold the baby, but he would cry and cry until they put him down."

"He still does that," Cuddy joked while House looked as uncomfortable as she'd ever seen him.

"Does he still..."

"Okay, enough of that. Cuddy and I have to head out soon, so how about those pancakes?"

"Oh!" Blythe had forgotten all about the pancakes burning on the stove. She ran over and scrapped them off the griddle, directly into the trash. "Do you have time for me to make another batch?"

Cuddy was about to say yes but House beat her to it. "We can just pick up something on the road."

John stood in House's path. "You'll stay and have your mother's pancakes." His face was cold and stern.

"That's okay John, if they..."

"No, Blythe, it's not okay."

House stood facing his father. Cuddy felt trapped. She thought she should side with the younger House, her fiancé, but she was starving, and she knew he was starving, and she could see in Blythe's face how much she wanted to make breakfast for her only son. She took a breath. She had dealt with House's anger before. "We have time. And I'm starving."

House's head snapped at her. He stared into her face with cold blue eyes. She'd never seen them look so deadly. She gulped nervously, then took his hand. Her eyes pleaded with him. She wanted to tell him that this wasn't worth fighting over, she wanted to tell him that it would mean the world to his mother, that he shouldn't focus on his father 'winning' this fight, but on being the bigger man and backing down, but she couldn't. Not with John staring him down, and Blythe looking on anxiously.

She didn't have to tell him. He already knew everything she wanted to say. He also knew that she was right. He was being unnecessarily stubborn, just because it was his father. "Fine, but no wedding talk." He hated himself for backing down, even if it was the right thing to do.


	19. The Long Road Home

Carla Fox: Good look with the boyfriend. LOL Let me know if the technique works. ;)

mandy9578: thank you so much for this "I love that they are in character". That really is, for me at least, the greatest compliment.

Velimira: John is a very complex man. And yeah, Blythe is a tad oblivious, and you're right, would have to be to stay married to him. lol

HOUSEM.D.FanForever: House will NEVER become soft. LOL He just knows when to pretend to.

I almost feel bad for poor Leila. So many people seem to hate her. Oh, wait, no I don't. She's horrible to our dear Cuddy. It will be fun to see what happens when she finds out their engaged, and that they got engaged only moments after she left. lmao. She's gonna be SOOOOOO pissed. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program.

**

* * *

**

THE LONG ROAD HOME 

They all rushed through breakfast. House wanted to get out of there fast, and no one seemed to want to argue with him. The tension was the only thing thicker than Mrs. House's pancakes. John didn't say a word. House only mumbled incoherently now and then. Cuddy spoke absentmindedly, her focus on keeping House calm. Blythe babbled on about anything she could think of, trying to keep the room from falling into total silence.

The meal ended without bloodshed, and House and Cuddy packed up and headed out. Blythe had packed them a massive doggie bag, which House took reluctantly as they left. "Have a safe ride home," she called after them, already in tears. John put an arm around his wife as they watched their son leave.

"I can't believe he got that stupid car," John shook his head disapprovingly.

"Oh John, he was probably trying to impress Lisa." Blythe was a romantic at heart, and went out of her way to always give her son the benefit of the doubt.

"Humph." John shut the door.

House climbed into the driver's side and searched for the keys.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cuddy leaned against the door, dangling the keys in her hand.

"Give me those!" House grabbed at the keys, which she pulled out of his reach.

"I'm driving home."

"Over my dead body," House pulled himself painfully out of the car so he could tower over her.

"Don't tempt me." She was grinning from ear to ear. She shoved him out of the way and slid into the drivers seat.

House poked her with his cane. "You can't drive the car." He shoved his cane into her hands making her drop the keys, then dove into her lap trying to grab them.

Cuddy snatched the keys out of his reach. "You got to drive it here, I'm driving it home."

House pulled out his cell phone and took a few steps back.

"What are you doing?" Cuddy watched him curiously.

"I'm calling United." He pressed a few numbers then held the phone to his ear.

"Why?" She arched her brow.

"If you're driving there is no way I'm getting in that car." House heard a voice on the other end of the phone. "Yes, I am looking for a flight from Cleveland to Newark leaving ASAP."

"House?" Cuddy got up and took the phone.

"Give me the keys." He held out his hand. "Or give me the phone. You're call."

Cuddy looked at him for a long time, trying to hold her ground. She was testing him to see how serious he was. He wasn't backing down. "Fine," she sighed, annoyed. "I need to get some work done anyway." She tossed the keys at him.

House smiled as he watched her walk around the car and get into the passenger seat.

The car vroomed into action and sped off down the street. Blythe released the curtain and walked sadly away from the window. "They're gone," she sighed sadly.

"I heard," John grumbled. Stupid, flashy car. The whole bloody neighborhood knew they were gone. Why did that boy always have to make a spectacle out of himself? John shook his head and returned to his paper.

Cuddy pulled out her laptop and fired it up. House glanced over at her, then flipped on the radio. One eye stayed on the road while the other watched to see what she would do. Predictably, she turned the radio off, not looking at him, not saying a word.

House flipped it on again, louder this time. This time she simply turned it down. House smiled and turned it back up. She looked at him. He knew she wanted to say it, say his name in that way she always did when she was annoyed with him, but she said nothing. She looked in her bag and pulled out a pair of headphones. She put them on, plugged them into her computer, and set to work.

House cranked the radio up again but got no reaction. With a disappointed sigh, and because his ears were going to start bleeding if he didn't, he turned it back down to a tolerable volume. If nothing else, it drown out the sound of her fingers hitting the keys.

Hours zoomed by almost as fast as the car and House finally pulled into a McDonald's for lunch.

"Can't we eat somewhere else?" Cuddy groaned.

"I want a Big Mac." House turned off the car and opened his door. Cuddy just glared at him. "They have salads now." She rolled her eyes but got out of the car.

"You're paying."

"Can I borrow a twenty?" House held out his hand.

"No, House, you can NOT borrow a twenty."

House shrugged and headed into the McDonald's. Cuddy grabbed her purse and followed him, resigned to the fact that she was about to pay for lunch.

House placed his order, then stepped aside, waiting for her to pay.

"That will be $10.87." The cashier turned around to get their drinks.

Cuddy paid up and took the tray to the table House was sitting at. House grabbed his Big Mac before she could even sit down.

"We're not really having a wedding are we?" House spoke with his mouth full.

"I'm a girl, House, most of us dream of our wedding day. I'm not going to just run off to Shot Gun Chapel after work. I want to wear a dress, and have my hair done, and see you in a tux, and…"

"Tux?" House made a face, his French fry hanging in the air.

"Yes, House, a tux. You can wear one, for one day, and it won't kill you."

"Then you don't want me to enjoy this wedding at all?" He bit into his fry like he was biting someone's head off.

"No." She took a sip of her iced tea.

"And you're admitting that now? And still expect me to be there?"

"I expect you to be there, in a tux, and on your best behavior."

"Why don't I just cure world hunger while I'm at it?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes and finished eating while trying hard to ignore his gross, mouth open eating. Realizing she wasn't taking the bait, he stopped and finished his meal like a normal grown up, stealing several of her fries when his finally ran out.

They were soon back on the road, and somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania, along the seemingly endless Route 76, House heard the sound he had dreaded hearing. She was never going to let him live this one down.

The siren came up behind them out of nowhere. The cop flashed his lights, indicating it was time to pull over. House tried to slow the Lamborghini down without looking too conspicuous, but failed miserably.

He watched in the rear view mirror as the cop got out and walked toward them, jotting down the license number as he came around the car. He tapped on the window and House grudgingly rolled it down. He could feel Cuddy's smug smirk without having to look at her.

"Do you know how fast you were going sir?"

"Not a clue," House said honestly. He knew he was going over the speed limit, but how far over was a mystery to him.

"You were going 95, sir. Can I see your license and registration?" The cop's eye wandered over to Cuddy, a slight movement not overlooked by House.

"Lisa, lean over and get the registration, will you?" He hoped he'd dropped enough of a hint.

"It's attached to the rental form in your wallet." She refused to get him out of this.

He shot an evil glare at her. "Oh, right, I forgot." He took out his wallet and handed the necessary documents to the cop.

The officer looked them over then handed them back. "Rental, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Nice."

"I thought so."

"I'm still writing you up a ticket." The officer was not amused by House's charm. He wrote up the ticket and handed it to him. "And just a friendly little reminder, the speed limit around here is 75. Try keeping it in that general vicinity, would you."

"Of course." House lied. "And, I commend you and your fellow officers on keeping our highways safe from speeders."

The cop walked off mumbling something about giving him another ticket if he could.

"That was fun," Cuddy snarked as House tossed the ticket in her lap and peeled back onto the road.

"I'll just put it on my expense report."

"I don't think so." Cuddy stuck it in his coat pocket.

"What's the point of screwing the boss if I don't get any perks?"

"Your perk is, you get to screw the boss."

"For the things you want me to do to you, I should get hazard pay."

"Shut up and drive." She pulled out her laptop and got back to work.


	20. Home Sweet Home

**HOME SWEET HOME**

House pulled into the driveway with a screech. Cuddy shot up in her seat.

"We're home," he smiled, switching the car off.

"No, really?" She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep, and looked at the pile of papers that had fallen down around her feet. She bent over and started to pick them up as House attempted to once again extricate himself from the car.

"You're back," said Mrs. Taylor, their nosy neighbor, looking over the hedge in disgust at the overly flashy car.

House slammed his door. "Couldn't stand being away from you a moment longer Mrs. Taylor." He grumbled as he hobbled to the front door.

"Well, I hope you don't plan on leaving that thing in the driveway," the miserable housewife huffed. "That sort of thing just encourages thieves."

"Don't worry Mrs. Taylor," House called back at her. "They'll pass right by your house." House fumbled with the keys. Why was it, when you really wanted to get inside, you always managed to drop your keys? He bent over.

"Well, I live right next door to you Dr. House…"

"Yeah, but you don't have anything worth stealing." House stood up, triumphantly, and stuck the key in the whole.

"Well! I never!" Mrs. Taylor protested.

"Well you should." House couldn't help but get in the final word as Cuddy pushed him through the door.

"Why do you bother?" She said, throwing her back on the floor and pulling off her coat.

"She started." House protested, taking off his own coat and instead of putting it on the nearby coat hook, he tossed it on a chair.

Cuddy took his coat and hung it beside hers. "That doesn't mean you need to finish."

House turned and looked at her curiously. "How long have you known me?"

Cuddy broke into a smile. "I didn't even know her name until you moved in." Cuddy had always been a good neighbor, and no one had had reason to come over and complain until House showed up.

"You're welcome." House toddled into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. "Wanna get a pizza?"

"I thought I'd heat up some of your mother's leftovers." Cuddy brought the bag of goodies into the kitchen.

"I'll call Naples." House ignored her. "Mushroom and onion?"

"Whatever you want." Cuddy rolled her eyes and put the leftovers away.

"Well, in that case…." He reached out to grab her but she side stepped him.

"To eat, House, whatever you want to eat." Realization dawned on her seconds after the words were out of her mouth.

"Like I said…" he hung up the phone, "in that case…" he wrapped his cane around her waist and pulled her up against him.

"I'm tired, and I'm hungry, and I need a shower, so call and order a pizza." She pushed him away and headed for the bedroom.

"When you're rested, fed and clean, you owe me." He called after her.

"Just order the pizza House." She closed the door behind her. House picked up the phone and ordered his pizza.

By the time she was out of the shower and dressed in a nightgown and fluffy warm robe, the pizza was waiting on the counter, and House was at the table with three slices jammed on a plate.

House noticed her looking at his full plate. "Need my strength. For later."

She smirked. "Why? What are you doing later?"

House looked slightly stung, but bounced back quickly. "Calling your mother to tell her the good news." He was quite pleased with himself.

"Go ahead." She walked over and handed him the phone challengingly.

House took it uneasily. "Don't know the number?"

Cuddy pulls a small phone book out of a drawer. "312-552-8339."

"You don't know your parents number by heart?" House teased.

"Do you?"

House looked down and dialed the numbers. Cuddy watched him, waiting for him to hang up. He watched her, waiting for her to stop him. "It's ringing," he informed her, pressing the receiver to his ear.

She was starting to squirm. She clenched her hands in fists, waiting for him to back down. He hated her mother. There was no way he was going to…

"Hello, this is Greg."

Cuddy grabbed the phone and hung it up quickly. House cracked up. "You have to tell her eventually."

"Eventually doesn't mean now." Cuddy took her plate to the table.

"Well then, I'll just have to think of something else to occupy my evening?"

"Is sex all you ever think about House?"

He tried to look innocent. "Who said anything about sex? I was going to play Call of Duty."

Cuddy ate in silence for a while, thinking about her mother. House was right. She was going to have to tell her eventually. But as soon as she did, her mother was going to ascend on them like a heat seeking missile.

Leila Cuddy was a hard woman to ignore, especially when she had her mind set on something. And she has had her mind set on marrying off her daughters since their birth. Cuddy vaguely remembered the fairytales her mother used to tell her. She'd always hated them; stories of beautiful but helpless women waiting for some man to come and rescue them.

She used to ask her mother why Cinderella didn't just leave after her father's death, why she put up with all her Wicked Step-mother's shit. Why did Snow White become a maid for the Dwarves while waiting for the Prince to find her? Why the hell didn't Repunzel cut her hair, tie it to the bed, and scale down the wall to rescue herself? After a while her mother stopped reading her fairytales.

Still, there was a small part of Lisa Cuddy that wanted the fairy tale wedding; that wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world for that one day; wanted to profess her love in front of her family and friends. She tried to rationalize it away, told herself it was all just fluff, an unimportant backdrop.

"We could not tell her, and just elope," House offered helpfully.

"No." Cuddy snapped rather quicker than she'd meant to. "I'll tell my mother…later."

"Later is good. Maybe for our fiftieth wedding anniversary."

"Oh House, I'm going to kill you long before our fiftieth wedding anniversary."

House grinned. "I can't wait."


	21. Wilson's Good Advice

I want to thank you all so much for your great feedback. You are the best bunch of feedbackers ever!

Carla Fox: Believe me, Leila is plenty pissed off. And it will only get worse

Velimira: We are two of the same. Damn those Conspiritorial Fairy Tales. thrusts fist into air

* * *

WILSON'S GOOD ADVICE

House barged into Wilson's office and sat down on the small sofa used to comfort patients as Wilson dropped the dreaded bomb on them. Wilson looked up from his computer, made a mental note of House's arrival and went back to work.

House sighed heavily and started flipping through one of the magazines Wilson had laid out on the coffee table.

Wilson finished typing his email, then took a sip of his coffee.

"It was great. Thanks for asking," House finally said huffily.

"Oh," Wilson looked up with over exaggerated surprise on his face. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. Paris Hilton wants to have a baby," House informed his friend, reading one of the small articles in the front of the magazine.

"Poor kid." Wilson said, coming over to sit across from House.

"Rich kid." House corrected, tossing the magazine back onto the coffee table haphazardly and watching as Wilson hurriedly straightened it. Once it was straightened, House propped his feet on top of the pile, messing it up again.

"House! I just straightened that."

"Yeah, thanks."

"So? Tell me everything." Wilson, ever the stereotypical yenta, leaned in and waited for the gossip.

"We're getting married," House grumbled unceremoniously.

"What?" Wilson stopped breathing from the shock, starting again only after he felt his head start spinning a bit. "Are you serious? You proposed?"

"Under great duress, I might add. And believe me, it was some GREAT duress if you know what I mean." House winked, remembering the activities surrounding his proposal.

"You're getting married." Wilson leaned back in his chair, stunned. He never thought it would happen. Stacy had spent years trying to get House to propose. When she failed, Wilson figured it was a lost cause.

"Yeah, I'd ask you for advice, but with your record..."

"Yeah, well..."

"Yeah well what?" House looked at his friend with great interest.

"Julie and I are talking again," Wilson said with a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"Dump her. She's much too good for you."

Wilson tried to shake that thought into making sense. It didn't work. "I think she's reconsidering the divorce."

"That's great, but we were talking about me." House was bored with Wilson's story already. "How the hell am I going to get out of this?"

Wilson frowned. "Get out of it?"

"Yeah. I'm not getting married. It's not...cool."

"Right, wouldn't want to tarnish that swinging bachelor image you've got going."

"But I don't want to leave her," House admitted reluctantly.

"Obviously," Wilson said.

"So, how do I get out of it?"

"You don't." Wilson snickered.

"Her parents hate me."

"All parents hate you House."

"Her mother thinks I'm the spawn of Satan."

"Silly woman. You ARE Satan."

"You're not helping."

"I have a radical idea." Wilson's face lit up. "Try to be NICE to them."

House looked at his friend with utter disgust. "It's like you don't know me at all."

"Don't they live in Michigan or somewhere out there?"

"Chicago."

"So it's not like you have to see them often."

"Never would be too often."

"Do it for Cuddy."

"What's she done for me?"

"Made you a tolerable human being?"

"Humph."

"For once in your life House, try to make peace. Who knows, you might like it."

"I won't."

"Try."

"No."

"I dare you."

House laughed nervously. "You really think that's going to work?"

"It couldn't hurt to try. How about a bribe? You like bribes."

"Yes, I do. But what could you possibly have to offer?"

"I'll be your best man."

"Puh. But what could you possibly have to offer?"

"What would work?"

House was about to say 'nothing' but held his tongue. No need to be hasty. Wilson watched carefully as House thought about it. "You'll be my bitch, for one year."

"I'm already your bitch."

"You don't get how this works, do you?" House sighed. "For one year I reserve the right to make you do anything I want. Any thing, any time."

"Nothing illegal."

"Any thing, any time," House reiterated.

"Any time, any thing that is not illegal."

"For one year."

"For one month."

"For six months." House could have some fun with that.

"You have to make peace with Cuddy's parents, and not mess up your wedding, and I will do what you want for three months."

"Even if it's illegal?" House saw Wilson cracking.

"I won't kill anyone."

"That sounds fair." House nodded. Killing was too easy anyway.

"You've got yourself a deal." Wilson grinned. House wasn't going to be able to do it anyway, so he had nothing to lose, and at least Cuddy should get SOME peace, even if it ends up being short lived.

A slow smile spread across House's face. "You are sooooo going to regret this."


	22. Apologies are Not House's Strong Suit

**APOLOGIES ARE NOT HOUSE'S STRONG SUIT**

Wilson watched his friend leave. What the hell did he just get himself into? He had the sneaking suspicion House had just tricked him into something, but he wasn't sure quite what.

House headed back to his office. Making peace with Leila Cuddy was much easier said than done. Still, it was worth it if it meant winning.

House searched his desk, pushing papers onto the floor carelessly. That slip of paper had to still be here. He hadn't thrown it out. Not something that valuable. He smiled and held up the small blue Post-It. "Ha!" he cried out triumphantly.

He picked up the receiver and started to dial. "Hello, this is Gregory House, is this Mrs. Cuddy?"

"What the hell do you want?" Leila's harsh voice responded.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior on Thanksgiving." The words felt like poison in his mouth.

"Well?" He could practically hear her tapping her foot impatiently.

"I'm sorry I tricked you into coming to my parent's house. Lisa was talking about how much she missed you, and how much she'd love to see you, and I wanted to surprise her..."

"You could have come to visit us."

"Look, I just called to tell you I'm sorry for forcing you to see your daughter. It won't happen again. We won't invite you to the wedding if it's that much trouble for you."

"Wedding? What wedding? You didn't even have the balls to ask her to marry you."

"I did ask her, and she said yes." This wasn't going well. He probably should have waited for Cuddy to tell her.

"When?" He could hear the thinly veiled anger in her voice. "Did you wait until right after we left the other night? You spiteful, hateful..." whatever she'd said next was muffled, and soon her lovely voice was replaced by the deep sound of Lisa's father. "Who is this?"

"It's Greg...House." House gulped nervously.

"What did you say to my wife?" House could still hear her cursing in the background.

"I told her that Cuddy and I...Lisa and I are engaged. I thought she'd be happy." House could have cared less about Leila's happiness, and he'd gotten exactly the result he was looking for.

"Well, she's not."

"Clearly." House couldn't tell what Jakob Cuddy was thinking.

The line was silent for a moment and House was about to hang up, thinking the older man had already done so, when he heard Jakob laugh lightly. "It's about bloody time you asked her. But I'd better warn you. Leila is not going to ever accept it."

"I didn't propose to her." House was surprised Jakob ever had.

"Yes, well, that's not how she sees it."

"I thought she wanted us to get married." House was getting extremely frustrated. This was exactly why he'd never proposed to anyone before. He was miserable enough being a part of his own family, he had no desire to take on someone else's.

"That's before she met you." Jakob laughed. House couldn't help but like this man. After all, he did bring Lisa Cuddy into this world. House decided that Leila's contribution was solely physical, which was fine, because bitter shrew that she was, she'd held up quite well over the years.

"Ah, now she's jealous and wants me all to herself."

"Exactly." Jakob's tone changed when he asked "Why didn't Lisa call?" He sounded hurt.

"She was going to." House suddenly felt guilty. Not a feeling he had too often. "I wasn't supposed to say anything. I called to apologize..."

"You're not very good at it are you?" Jakob laughed.

"No sir, I'm not," House admitted.

"Well," Jakob sighed. "I hope you're ready for a fight."

House was more than up to the challenge of taking on Leila Cuddy. "I'll do whatever it takes Dr. Cuddy. I'm in love with your daughter, and your shrew of a wife is not going to stop me from marrying her."

House couldn't see it, but Jakob Cuddy was now grinning from ear to ear. "Good, good. That's what I like to hear. My daughter needs a man with some spunk."

House was about to make some sarcastic remark he hadn't yet thought of, but was saved by the sound of his door slamming shut. "Oh shit." He hung up the phone as Cuddy started toward him, her body language clearly stating this was NOT pleasure.

"Did you just call my mother and tell her we're engaged?" Her eyes were blazing.

"You can't possibly know about that already." House looked down at the phone.

"She called me House. She said I was an ungrateful, deceitful child and that she should disown me for betraying her."

"Bit of a drama queen, don't you think?"

"Don't!" It was all she had to say. The way she said it sent the humor clear out of House's head. "You had no right to tell her about the engagement!" She slammed both hands on his desk.

"It's my engagement too," House countered feebly.

"I don't care House, she's my mother. It was my job to tell her. And because I didn't, she now hates me, more than usual. Now I have to suck up to her, and try to convince her that I wasn't deliberately holding the information from her."

"But you were."

"Shut up House!" She snapped. "I am furious right now."

House gulped. "I noticed."

"I want you out of my house." Cuddy gulped back the urge to kill him.

"What?" House blinked at her.

"If you don't want to break up premenantly, then go stay with Wilson for a few days. I really can't deal with you right now." She turned quickly and stormed out. House didn't know someone so thin could pound the ground so hard.

House waited to see if she'd return. When she didn't, he ventured out into the hallway and walked the short trek to the next door. "Why did I let you talk me into this?" House stormed in and plunked down on the couch beside a young woman in a bad wig. He looked at her and she looked back.

"House, this is my patient. Elisa, this is House, my living nightmare." He grabbed House and pulled him onto the balcony. "If you don't mind, I'm in the middle of telling her she's not going to make it through the winter. I don't think she'd appreciate an audience."

"Cuddy kicked me out."

Wilson had turned to leave but stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

"She told me to stay with you for a while." House seemed more depressed than usual.

"I...no. You can't. Julie and I are just working things out. The last thing I need is..."

"I did what you said and tried to patch things up. Now Cuddy and her mother both hate me. You owe me."

"I don't owe you anything."

"I'll see you at dinner." House walked into his office leaving Wilson to return to his.


	23. Lo and Behold

**LO AND BEHOLD**

Cuddy got home late. She hadn't seen House's car in the driveway. That was enough to water her eyes and she let out a light sniffle as she unlocked the door and headed inside.

It wasn't at first apparent that he was gone. Sure there was a little less clutter in the living room, and the PlayStation 3 was missing from the TV stand, and there was a quiet stillness hanging over the house, but she could still smell the cigar she forbad him to smoke in the house lingering on the sofa cushions, and his dirty breakfast dishes were still in the sink.

She pulled one of his beers out of the fridge, somewhat surprised he hadn't taken the six pack with him, and cracked it open. She let the amber liquid flow down her throat, hoping the effects would dull the horrible pain in her heart.

It didn't take long to drain the twelve ounce can. She tossed it in the trash and opened another, then headed to the living room and dropped onto the couch. Something poked her in the ass, and she dug her hand between the cushions and pulled out a pen. House must have left it there.

She started to cry as she held it. "Damn!" She threw the pen across the room.

A few minutes later she pulled herself together and picked up the phone. An hour later her best friend was on her doorstep with two pints of Ben and Jerry's and a bottle of rum. "You said you have coke, right?" Lo brushed past Cuddy and into the kitchen.

"Yeah," Cuddy followed her and pulled out two glasses from the cabinet while Lo got out the rum and vanilla iced cream.

"Good. I'm making rum and Coke floats." Lo grabbed a spoon and started scooping out ice cream. "Prepare yourself to be amazed."

"Can't wait," Cuddy watched her friend prepare the drinks. "Put extra rum in mine."

"And mine." Lo smiled and poured the rum liberally into each glass. "You just saved me from the date from hell."

"Glad I could help." Cuddy was feeling a little better. She hadn't seen Lo in weeks.

They gathered all their supplies on the kitchen table and then sat down.

Lo looked at her sad friend with great interest. "Okay, what happened?"

All Cuddy had told her friend on the phone was that she needed to talk right away. Lo ditched her blind date and hurried right over, with a pit stop at the store for provisions, of course.

"House proposed to me."

"OH.MY.GOD!" Lo gushed and grabbed Cuddy's hand. "Let me see!"

Cuddy wasn't wearing the ring.

Lo's face dropped. "What happened?"

"I shouldn't have pushed him into it. I got caught up in the moment. My mother…"

"Oh, not her," Lo moaned. She was not a fan of Mrs. Cuddy. Ever since they were girls and Mrs. Cuddy forbid that bad influence Lorena Osborne to step foot in her house, Lo had not said two words to the woman. In Mrs. Cuddy's defense, Lorena did try to get Lisa to smoke at the tender age of eight, but that was ancient history.

"Yes her," Cuddy groaned, not all that happy with her mother either at the moment. "House led her to believe that he was going to do something over Thanksgiving. She assumed he was going to propose, so she came…"

"She didn't!" Lo was well aware of Leila Cuddy's favoritism of her OTHER daughter.

"She did, and she wasn't very happy when he didn't propose."

"I thought you said he did." Lo scooped a big old scoop of ice cream onto her spoon and chased it with a sip of her float.

Cuddy shook her head. She was getting it all messed up. "He did, but after she left, and after I sort of told him he had to."

"That's not like you." Lo's brows furrowed.

"I know." Cuddy took a long sip of her drink, letting the rum warm her up from the inside. "I don't know what got into me."

"But he did propose, right?"

"Yes."

"Well there you go. Gregory House isn't the kind of man who's going to let himself get pushed into proposing to you unless he WANTS to be pushed into proposing to you."

"Why am I so insecure about him?" Cuddy threw her arms in the air.

"Because you're in love with him Lisa. You've never been this in love with someone. It's scary. You're allowed to be scared."

"I'm not scared." Cuddy protested.

"Oh, right. That's why you're not wearing his engagement ring even though he proposed two days ago."

"I'm not wearing it because…" Cuddy visibly collapsed into her chair. "I sort of broke up with him."

"You didn't." Lo groaned.

"Not…completely. I told him to move out for a few days. I needed to think."

"About what?" Lo was trying to sound as concerned as she was curious.

"He told my mother about the engagement when I expressly told him not to."

"And?"

Cuddy looked at her friend with exasperation. "And I don't know why I'm freaking out about it."

Lo laughed. "Because you're scared." Lo made a 'duh' face. "You're about to commit to a man you love, and you're terrified. It's perfectly natural."

"Not for me." Cuddy had spent her whole live plunging head first into things that should have scared her.

Lo laughed some more and shoved a spoonful of ice cream in her friends mouth. "Stop trying to talk yourself into being strong and brave and all those things you think you're supposed to be. You're marrying a sociopath. It's okay to be scared."

"House is NOT a sociopath."

"You really are in love." Lo ducked quickly as Cuddy flung her spoon at her. "Better get another one before I eat all this ice cream myself."

Cuddy got up and got another spoon. "I do love him. I do. I want to spend the rest of my life with him…"

"But…" Lo knew it was coming.

"I can't trust him." Cuddy sat back down and grabbed the pint.

"Can any of us really trust anyone else? Can we even fully trust ourselves?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know you were a philosophy major."

"Gotta find some way to justify four years and tens of thousands of dollars spent on a college education."

"I thought the justification was the endless frat parties and mornings after."

"Don't forget my wonderful marriage which ended in tears and therapy." Lo saw the look on Cuddy's face change. "Oooh, probably shouldn't have mentioned that."

"I'm not afraid we'll end up divorced. I think House would poison me, hack my body into tiny pieces and feed them to a stray before he'd go through the trouble of a divorce."

"Hmm." Lo tried not to laugh. "And the thought of living with this man doesn't scare you? I'd be sleeping with one eye open."

"I've been living with him for over a year. Other than some curious body hair, he's not as scary as he pretends to be. Why am I freaking out?"

Lo cracked up.

"You are no help."

"Sorry Lisa. I love seeing you like this. It's like you're a real person."

"I am a real person." Cuddy protested, sucking down the last of her drink.

"I know. It's just, sometimes, you try so hard to seem like you've got everything under control. It's nice to see you act like the rest of us."

"You make me sound awful."

"If you were awful, I would have ditched you in grade school."

"You tried."

"I did not!" Lo got up and made them more drinks.

"Yes you did, when Gwen Perkins told everyone I had lice."

"I stuck up for you!"

"You wouldn't sit with me at lunch."

"Your mother used to make those awful bratwurst sandwiches or whatever the hell they were."

"They were pretty bad." Cuddy laughed. She was so glad her best friend Lo was back in town. "I love you Lo."

"I love you more Lisa."

"Not possible."

"Do you really want to go there?" Lo raised one eyebrow, but no where near as well as Cuddy did it, and smiled.

"Shut up and make me another drink." Cuddy scraped the bottom of the pint of iced cream and scooped the remaining chocolate fudge brownie goodness into her mouth. She felt better already.


	24. The Baker Street Irregulars

Southpaw: There will, indeed, be a sequel. I will be going on vacation starting friday, and plan to have this story done at that time, then I will work on the sequel. At present, this will be a trilogy.

HuddyTheUltimate: um, I'm a little scared. calls to get enrolled in fic protection plan.

Scuddyrific: So glad you like Lo. I think she will be a fun addition to the story. Sort of Cuddy's version of Wilson. I thought she really needed one. Everybody needs a Wilson. ;)

Critical Blues: Keep the faith. I'm not called Houddy because I want them apart. :)

HotLipsPeirce: (great name btw) thank you for the correction on fiance vs fiancee. I always screw that one up.

And Prinnie: thanks for the date correction.

**

* * *

**

**THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS**

House stopped the car in front of Wilson's apartment. He sat in the car for a moment, letting a flood of memories wash over him. Cuddy used to hate sleeping over, when it was his apartment, before she'd conned him into moving in with her so Wilson could take over the rent controlled flat House had called home for nearly ten years. Of course, in fairness, he used to hate having her sleep over. She used to wake up and tidy things. He could never find anything the next day.

He looked at his clock and wondered what she was doing. "Who cares?" He said to no one in particular then pulled himself out of his old clunker, the Lamborghini now nothing but a very expensive memory.

"I care, House." Wilson had come out to help him with his bags. "I care very much. I was supposed to go out with Julie tonight. We're starting over, going back to dating, and she was livid when I told her I had to cancel so I could help you move in."

"You didn't have to help me move in. I still have the key." House hobbled up to the door, leaving Wilson to carry his bags.

"You insisted I help you." Wilson struggled with two bags on each shoulder, and one rolling suitcase in each hand. "Door."

House helpfully held the door open then followed Wilson into the familiar hallway. "Well, you do owe me."

"When am I going to stop owing you?" Wilson groaned as he tossed one of the bags on the couch.

"When I'm dead." House flopped down in the big comfy chair he'd left Wilson when he moved out.

"So not too much longer then?" Wilson tried to glare at House, but he was no good at it. He didn't have Cuddy's commitment to the glare, nor her clear blue eyes, which blazed when she got angry.

"House?" Wilson clapped his hands in front of his friends face. "I asked if you wanted Chinese."

"Yeah, fine," House replied disinterestedly as he flipped through the channels. "You get Cinemax?"

"Yeah, channel 760."

House flipped to 760 hoping for something to take his mind off her.

"Have you spoken to Cuddy since she kicked you out?"

House glared at Wilson, and did a much better job of it.

"Okay, no talking about Cuddy." Wilson hurried back into the kitchen to grab a coaster. He'd washed them this morning and forgot to put them back on the coffee table.

"No mentioning her name." House commanded, putting the beer Wilson got him on the table next to the coaster.

Wilson sighed and moved the beer bottle onto the coaster. "You do these things just to annoy me, don't you?"

"How nice of you to notice." House flipped through more channels. He wasn't in the mood for boxing.

"What exactly did you say to her mother?" Wilson couldn't help himself. It was engraved in his DNA. He had to try and fix people.

"Nothing." House grumbled. It was in his DNA not to talk about things.

"Cud.. You Know Who was furious. I saw her walk by my office..."

"Yeah, well, she was just looking for an excuse."

"An excuse?"

"To dump me." House grumbled, settling on a rerun of the OC. It was the episode where Marissa died. That always cheered him up.

"She didn't dump you House. You said she said she needed some time to cool off."

"Whatever." House turned up the volume.

"Give her a few days. She'll come around."

"Oh, this from the thrice divorcé?"

"Twice divorcee. Julie and I are working it out."

"So you keep saying."

"I'm not just saying...and you're deflecting." Wilson narrowed his eyes. "Why are you deflecting?"

"Because I don't want advice from a man who can't maintain a marriage for more than four years. Do you realize, all your marriages have ended in their fourth year? It's like you come with an expiration date."

"I...they..." Wilson had never thought about it, but House was right. "We're not talking about me."

"We should be. You've got serious problems."

"I'm not the one sleeping in my old apartment because my fiancée needs time away from me."

"No, you're the one sleeping in my old apartment because your WIFE needs time to fuck the lawyer."

Wilson got up and stormed into the kitchen. He knew House was only lashing out because he was hurt, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with the jerk.

The door rang and Wilson blew past House without a word. After a brief exchange with the delivery boy, he blew past again and returned to the kitchen. He silently fixed himself a plate and walked to the table that stood between the living room portion of the apartment and the kitchen portion of the apartment.

House remained on the couch for as long as his empty stomach would allow, then got up and huffily fixed himself a plate. "Why do you think this time will be any different?" He asked Wilson after a long and hostile silence.

"Because, I love Julie."

"Like you loved Cindy, and Bonnie?"

"This is different." Wilson cringed as House mouthed the words along with him.

"You still cheat on her?"

"No. That was a one time thing. It's over."

"Cause your dying mistress died?"

"I thought we were supposed to be talking about you," Wilson sloppily changed the subject.

"Then you thought wrong."

"You asked Cuddy to marry you, and now you're sleeping on my couch. What happened?"

"I have no idea. And I'm not sleeping on your couch; I'm sleeping on MY old bed."

"Fine." Wilson knew it was pointless to argue. He would end up giving House the bed anyway. "How can you not know why she's pissed?"

"She's pissed because I told her mother about the engagement."

"But that was an accident, wasn't it? You told me it just slipped out."

"Other people let things 'slip out'. I don't just let things 'slip out'."

"You did it to hurt her?" Wilson knew House could be cruel, but that rarely extended to Cuddy.

"I did it to hurt her mother." House clarified. In all honesty, in that moment, he hadn't been thinking of Lisa Cuddy at all. His only objective had been to stick it to Leila Cuddy, a woman who made his father seem like parent of the year.

"Tell her you're sorry."

"Oh no. That's what got me into this mess. I took YOUR advice and tried to apologize to that shrew and now I've been kicked out of my house, and am living in bachelor hell with you. I'm never apologizing to anyone ever again."

"Great. Glad you learned your lesson, but I didn't tell you to spill your guts to the woman. A simple 'I'm sorry' would have sufficed."

"No. It wouldn't have. Not with that woman. That woman...How Cuddy came from that woman..."

"Wow. She really sounds like something."

"She treats Cuddy like dirt. DIRT! She's more proud of her stupid twit brood mare than her highly successful, incredibly hot first born. Cuddy is one of the smartest, sexiest, most beautiful women I know. She's one of the few people who can ever outwit me, and she's got a great ass. Her mother should be damned proud of her, but that bitch puts her down every chance she gets!

"I've only seen Cuddy call her mother once. And when she hung up, she cried. I want that woman to suffer. I want her to feel the pain Cuddy has felt her whole life, knowing she was never good enough for her mother. Knowing she was a constant disappointment, that nothing she ever did was good enough, because only one thing mattered to her mother, and Cuddy was never going to be that person. She was not willing to change herself or bend herself to her mothers will, and for that, Leila resents her. Maybe even hates her."

"We are still talking about Cuddy and her mother, right?" Wilson couldn't help but notice how caught up House had gotten in his speech, and how very much his words could have applied to him and his father.

"OF COURSE WE ARE!" House snapped at the truth.

"Just checking." Wilson backed off a bit and ate a lump of white rice.

"I'm giving Leila Cuddy exactly what she wants." House said as if he were stepping out of a dream.

"And that would be?"

"She would LOVE to see Cuddy and I break up. She doesn't want her daughter to be happy. She wants her to conform to that 1950's idealized fantasy of domestic bliss that doesn't exist, and never has. She wants her to marry a nice Jewish boy she doesn't love, because that's what is expected, that's what is proper. She wants her to spit out a brood of greedy brats because that will provide Leila with more drones to worship her and love her and justify her own meaningless existence. Well, I won't let it happen." House got up and stormed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Wilson watched him in a stupor.

"I'm going to get my fiancée back." House slammed the door behind him.


	25. The Night Visitor

**THE NIGHT VISITOR**

"Oh my god, would you look at the time." Lo looked at her watch with an exclamation. "I can't go home now."

"No. You're staying right here." Cuddy slurred her words slightly. "The guest room should be okay."

"Well, if it's not, I can snuggle up with you," Lo teased.

"Not a chance. You snore like a hibernating grizzly."

"Do bears snore, when they're hibernating? I often wonder about that."

"No you don't." Cuddy shook her head.

"Well, I would, if, like, I did." Both women burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"I'm glad you came." Cuddy hugged her dear friend.

"So am I." Lo kissed her on the cheek. "If I didn't, I'd probably be under a guy who smelled like breath spray and cigarettes and whose arms were hairier than your snoring grizzly."

"Oh Lo." Cuddy sighed.

"Don't give me that." Lo crashed into the doorway as the two friends tried to push threw it at the same time. More laughter ensued. "You had quite the reputation in high school, remember?"

"Vividly. But I was a stupid teenager then." Cuddy had managed to keep her reputation under the covers now.

"Well, I'm a stupid forty year old now."

"Just don't be too stupid, okay love?"

"Yes mother."

"And don't ever call me mother!" Cuddy gave her friend a playful push, but Lo's inebriated state caused her to easily lose her balance and crash onto the couch.

"I think I'll sleep here," Lo mumbled as she felt herself pass out.

"You'd be more comfortable in the guest room." Cuddy tugged at her arm, but gave up and threw the blanket that had been draped across the back of the couch over her. "Night."

"Night Lisa," Lo called out after her pal. "Try not to get sick."

"You too. That's a very expensive couch."

"Of course it is." Lo faked a puking noise, which caused Cuddy to rush back to her side.

"Don't do that!"

Lo snickered. "Better get me a bucket, just in case."

Cuddy sighed and went to the kitchen for a pot. She put it on the table beside Lo and headed off to bed.

It was sometime later when a key slipped into the lock and the front door slowly opened. House took one step in and saw a blonde head pop up over the sofa. "It's you!" Lo smiled lopsidedly. "Lisa owes me twenty bucks."

House closed the door behind him. "So she called for reinforcements?"

"She did indeed." Lo slurred.

"Did she tell you what happened?"

Lo nodded her head, felt dizzy, then vomited into the pot.

House walked past her and into the kitchen. He came back a minute later and handed Lo a glass. "Drink it. You'll feel better."

"Are you here to do what I think you're here to do?" Lo said cryptically, sitting up and drinking House's horrible concoction with a face of utter disgust.

"I am."

"She's just scared G. Go in there and tell her to get her head out of her ass and marry you already."

"Is she as wasted as you?" House didn't want to waste an apology on someone who wouldn't remember it in the morning.

"You know Lisa. That girl can drink like a sailor on whore leave...no, wait...a whore on a sailor...no, that's not it either..."

"Don't strain yourself." House got up and looked down the dark hall toward Cuddy's bedroom.

"Go get her tiger!" Lo tried punching him in the arm encouragingly, but slipped and got him in the jaw.

"You're lucky you're drunk." House narrowed his eyes at her. Luckily she hadn't hit him hard or she'd have a cane shaped line on the side of her head.

"Yes, I am." Lo slid off to the side and started snoring, much like a hibernating grizzly, if indeed hibernating grizzlies do snore.

House covered her back up and headed down the dark hall, his cane swishing back and forth to lead the way, and check for debris. Nothing worse than sneaking up on someone only to trip over something and cause a racket.

He slowly pushed open the door. He took two shuffling steps in and shut the door behind him, locking it, just in case. And people said he wasn't optimistic? What did they know?

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he slowly began to make out her familiar form, the curve of her hip, the long line of her arm, the graceful tapering of her legs. She was lying on her side of the bed.

He leaned over and brushed the hair out of her face. A glint of light caught his eye and he saw the ring, sitting on the bedside table. He frowned as he picked it up and shoved it in his pocket.

"Cuddy," he leaned over her and whispered in her ear. "Wake up; I want to talk to you."

She didn't respond. He let his lips gently press against her hair. She was breathing heavily, her mouth open. Her breath smelled of alcohol. For some reason he found that sexy as hell. Or maybe it was just that he found her sexy as hell, laying there in the darkness, her hand stretched over the spot where he usually slept.

House slowly got undressed. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he couldn't help himself. In nothing but his boxers, he slipped into bed beside her, slowly lifting her hand and then placing it on his shoulder, where she usually kept it. He felt her body instantly mould itself to his, one leg snaking around his own, her head nuzzling into his neck. Now her sweet alcoholic breath fell against his shoulder.

He was surprised by how much it pleased him to feel her lying there beside him. Some small part of his mind hoped that she would wake up, kiss him, and forget that they'd ever fought. He told himself that was absurd, that she would probably break up with him for good, but he needed to hold her right now. He needed her.

Cuddy heard his heart beating before she knew he was there. It reminded her of home. Not the home she was raised in, not home in the sense of a place you lived, but home as in the place where she was safe from all the evils of the world. Home as in her own private paradise where nothing else mattered, and she could lay in the arms of her lover, listening to his heart beat and not think about work, or her mother, or the fight they'd had only hours...before...

"HOUSE!" She pulled herself out of his arms and sat up quickly, staring down at his bare torso. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You invited me." He slid his hand slowly up her arm, comfortingly, confidently. It just might work.

Cuddy had to think about it for a moment. She had been pretty drunk, and she had thought about calling him. Had Lo convinced her to do it? She tried to remember. Lo had thought it was a good idea. "No I didn't!"

"But you wanted to." He could read her like a book.

"I..." Cuddy saw him getting closer. She knew she was supposed to pull away. She felt his hands slid up her arms and reminded herself that she was angry with him. She saw him tilt his head ever so slightly, his mouth barely touching hers and she tried to remember why she'd been so angry. She felt his breath, so close against her skin and she stopped thinking all together.

She threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, her mouth desperate for his taste. Her hands slid across his broad back, feeling him as though it were the first time. Her limbs felt like something not a part of her. They had a mind of their own. Her leg, against her strict orders, climbed across his hips, pinning him beneath her. She pulled his hands up over his head, and leaned down to kiss him, sucking his bottom lip, then slipping her tongue between his moist lips, invading him like a Viking attack.

House lay back, enjoying her taking the lead. It wasn't something that happened often and usually only when she was very drunk, and he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could. He felt her body undulating on top of him. Even through his boxers the sensation drove him wild.

He tried to grab his boxers, pull them down as quickly as he could, but she wouldn't let go of him. She held his arms tightly and kept kissing his neck, his face, his mouth, over and over as though she were starved for him.

She was on autopilot, her body now in control, and refusing to relinquish that power. As soon as her mind tried to think of why she shouldn't be doing this, her body would do something like slipping one hand into his shorts. As soon as she felt his hot, throbbing manhood in her delicate hand, she lost the ability to think at all.

She pulled him quickly inside of her, forcefully, almost painfully, but it was that good kind of pain that House would never admit was something of a turn on. He felt his staff engulfed in her heat, her juices flowing around him. He felt her body pulsating on top of him, moving animalisticly, aggressively, her only thought on her own pleasure.

The idea that she was only using him for sex drove him wild. House let her do what she wanted with him. He felt her teeth nip at his neck and he cried out, but he did not stop her. She was like a wild animal and he was not ready to tame her just yet.

Cuddy felt herself climax with him deep inside her. She tightened her grip on his wrists as the burst of energy shot through her then she went back for more, moving around in a different pattern, forcing him deeper inside her, sending him to new and unexplored realms.

House erupted like a volcano, his hot lava flowing inside her, filling her with his seed. Still she did not let him go. House felt so much desire it hurt. He felt the pressure building up again as she rode him like a stallion. Her mouth sucked hard on his neck. She was leaving her mark on him. She was branding him as her own private stud.

House screamed out as a second explosion quickly followed the first. He cursed his loss of control as she slid off of him, falling to her back and panting hard.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you," she said, breathing heavily.

"I know." House reached over to touch her, but she pushed his hand away.

"Get out!"

"What?" He wasn't expecting that.

"I said get out!" She was quickly becoming sober, and wasn't enjoying the transition at all.

House thought for a moment, then shouted "NO!" knowing it would wreck havoc on her head.

Cuddy cringed as his loud voice cut through her. "Please House, go."

"No. You can't get rid of me that easily." House pulled her to face him. He could see the tears in her eyes, but he didn't let that deter him. He had a job to do. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's really going on."

Cuddy closed her eyes and looked away. How could she tell him what was really going on when she didn't know herself? "You shouldn't have told my mother…"

"I know. I messed up. I'm sorry." The words hurt to say. He hated messing up. Only failures messed up. That's what his father used to say.

"It's not just that." She knew in her heart she wasn't this upset over that.

"You don't trust me." As much as he knew he deserved it, the idea that she didn't trust him hurt deeply.

"I want to House. I really want to trust you. But when you do something like this, when you go and do the one thing I told you not to do. You just make it impossible."

"I screwed up. People screw up Cuddy." His voice was growing louder. "That's life and you either have to deal with it, or go hide under a rock, because I can promise you only one thing in life, and that is, that I will screw up again. I will hurt you again. I will disappoint you again. I will betray you again. And if you can't deal with that, if you expect me to be perfect, then we should end this right now."

Cuddy was in tears. His words cut through her with the sharp blade of truth. "I don't want you to be perfect House."

"Then what the hell do you want Cuddy, because I am really struggling to figure that out."

She closed her eyes tight, then opened them and looked deep into his. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if you only married me because I forced you to." There, the truth was out. She braced herself for the storm to follow.

House stared at her. His mind was playing the words over and over. "Then let's not get married."

"What?" she sniffled, not expecting that reply at all.

"If you don't want me to feel trapped then we'll call the whole thing off."

"But…" she didn't want to lose him.

"We'll go back to the way things were, lots of hot sex and no commitments." That actually didn't sound all that bad to House.

Cuddy burst into tears again.

"I hate weepy drunks."

"I'm not drunk House, and I'm not weepy, other than hearing that the man I love doesn't want to spend his life with me."

"That is not what I said."

"What do you think 'no commitments' means House?"

"It means…" what did it mean? "It means you need to shut up and go to sleep and we'll talk about this when you're sober."

"I told you House, I'm not drunk. And we'll talk about this now." Her eyes blazed. "Is sex all you want from me?"

"Of course not. But I don't want you to spend the rest of our relationship thinking you trapped me into it either. So the engagement is off."

"Fine." She was too mad to fight any further. She turned and pretended to fall asleep.

"Fine." House lay on his back smiling. She hadn't kicked him out.


	26. The Do Over

**THE DO OVER**

Cuddy woke up and rolled over. Her arm fell across…nothing. She sat up and looked at the empty spot where House had slept. If he crept off in the middle of the night, she was never going to forgive him.

"House?" She called as she headed down the hall, tying her robe tightly around her waist.

"Shhhhh." Lo popped out of the guest bathroom in front of her. "I'm trying to have a hangover here."

"Sorry." Cuddy had forgotten all about poor Lo.

"S'okay. You're boyfriend is in the kitchen making more of his awful hangover remedy. Don't drink it. That crap does not work." Lo turned a strange huge of green then ran back into the bathroom.

Cuddy continued on to the kitchen and saw House; his back was to the door. "I'm not drinking any of your remedy."

"Good, cause I didn't make you any." House turned and handed her a cup of herbal tea." He laughed at her confused expression. "That stuff doesn't work. I was just messing with Lo."

"You didn't make her worse did you?" She wouldn't put it past him.

"No."

Lo came stumbling into the room. "That crap you gave me is…" she couldn't find the right words to express her feelings, "crap!"

House laughed. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Lo looked from House to Cuddy. "So, you two make up?" She headed for the coffee machine.

House looked at Cuddy.

"Yes. I think so." She looked back at House who smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

"Good. So, when's the wedding?" Lo was feeling much better after that last trip to the bathroom, and was almost her bouncy perky self again.

"What wedding?" House asked innocently and got an elbow in the ribs.

"We're...not engaged anymore." Cuddy wasn't sure how to phrase it. Had they called it off completely, was it just postponed, did it really matter? "We're starting over."

"Oooh, a do over. Sounds fun." Lo clapped her hands excitedly. "Is that what I heard last night?"

"Never mind what you heard last night." Cuddy ordered. Lo smiled and House winked at her, nodding to indicate that that was exactly what she heard last night.

"Well, I'd better run. I've got another date tonight. Hopefully this one isn't a total Neanderthal. Call me if you break up again. K?" She kissed Cuddy on the cheek, then cocked her head and looked at House.

"Don't," House said warningly.

Lo shrugged her shoulders, quickly reached over and pinched his ass, then scurried away before he could retaliate.

"I really hate her." House mumbled as she left.

"She likes you too." Cuddy kissed him on the cheek and gave him a pinch of her own.

"Well, she can't have me." His face lit up. "Unless..."

"Not even in your wildest dreams House." Cuddy teased.

"It could be part of the do over," House said excitedly.

"No, it couldn't." Cuddy headed into the living room.

"I'll marry you," House trailed behind her.

"No you won't," she said over her shoulder as she headed down the hall.

"Well, not if you're going to be like that." House pouted, heading down the hall after her.

"I'm never ever having a threesome House. I don't care how much you beg."

"Lie and say you'll think about it."

"I'll think about it House." She walked into the bedroom.

"You're just saying that." House followed, shutting the door behind him.

"You got me." She walked into the bathroom and shut the door in his face.

House listened as she started the water. She had taken him back, so why wasn't he happier? Because you want to marry her you idiot! He screamed in his own head. "No, that's not it," he said quietly as he walked over to the bed.

He pulled his pants over to him with the tip of his cane and shoved his hand in the pocket. The ring was still there. He looked at it, turning it around in his fingers.

"You idiot," he told himself as he tossed the ring back in his pocket and got dressed.

Cuddy felt the hot water pour over her, slowly easing her worries out of her mind. House did love her, she was sure of that. It was more than just the sex. The sex was great, of course, but they were connected on a level much deeper than that. She felt it when she looked in his eyes. A ring, a piece of paper and a ceremony weren't going to change that. Those things wouldn't make them more connected, or more in love. They were just…things; things for other people; things for people like her mother.

She closed her eyes and stuck her head under the water. House loved her, that's all that really mattered.

House looked at the door. He wanted so badly to burst in there, to scoop her into his arms and profess his undying love to her. But that crap only happened in cheesy romance novels, and he was no romantic hero. He picked up a pad and a pen and thought about writing her a note. Then he thought about not writing her a note and put the pen and paper back.

He placed the ring on her pillow then looked at it for a long time. That was even cheesier than rushing into the bathroom. He sighed and put the ring back in his pocket. He heard her singing through the door and smiled.

She felt as though a great weight had been lifted. She began to sing I Will Survive. At first she was afraid, she was petrified, thinking she could never live up to her mothers eyes, but then she spent so many nights crying herself to sleep, then she grew strong, when House came along, and now she's back, strong and independent, and she wasn't going to take any of her mothers shit.

House pressed his ear to the door, listening to her revised lyrics. If it were possible for him to love her any more, he would have. He quickly removed his clothes again and slipped into the bathroom.

She'd left the door unlocked, as he knew she would. The room was already bathed in steam, a white cloud obscuring his vision. He could see her flesh toned form behind the shower door, her beautiful figure distorted by the etched glass.

He watched her for a moment. She was wiggling around and it looked like she was singing into something, a bottle of shampoo maybe? He slid open the door and she jumped, nearly slipping on the ceramic surface.

"House!" She looked so beautifully embarrassed, her skin reddened in shame and the heat of the shower.

"The one and only," he stepped into the shower and shut the door.

She quickly put the shampoo back on the small shelf built into the wall. She looked at him like a guilty child. House reached over her and took the bottle. The water beat down on his shoulder as he poured some shampoo into his hands then ran his hands through her wet hair.

She tilted into his touch as his fingers massaged her scalp. She moaned as his moved her under the faucet and let the torrent of water rinse the shampoo away. She leaned in and kissed him, the water running down her nose and over the parts of his mouth not covered by hers.

"I love you House," she whispered.

"I love you too." For the first time in a long time, those words were enough for her. Just knowing that he loved her was enough. She felt like some sort of spell had been broken. The haze of her mother's domineering beliefs had cleared and she was happy just being in the shower with the man she loved, watching him lather his hands with soap and knowing that in a moment those hands would be all over her.

House put the soap back on the shelf, and placed his hands on her shoulders, running them slowly down her arms, then back up. His hands then slid across her breasts, making extra sure that each one was as clean as possible, his hands cupping them perfectly, his fingers slipping along those tricky undersides with great care.

Cuddy closed her eyes and placed her hands on the side of the shower for support as his hands worked their way down her body, over her still slightly queasy stomach. His touch made her even more flushed as the hot water poured down on her.

House lathered up some more before running his hands around her body and grabbing her ass firmly. He was looking into her eyes, his body pressed up against hers, as he spread the soap thoroughly over her buttocks. She could feel him breathing, feel his heart pounding even though their bodies weren't actually touching. She could feel her own heart racing, her pulse pounding. Her legs were weak beneath her, partly due to a night of heavy drinking, partly because he was sliding his hands between her legs.

"I love you House," she said again, lost in a world of desire and passion.

"So you said," House replied a sly smile on his face as he turned her around. He watched as the water poured down over her breasts, two tiny waterfalls of steam rolling off her perfect skin. He slid a finger across the stream, cutting it off, pressing against her nipple playfully. She leaned back against him, her bare ass pressing against his solid dick.

His hand slid down over her stomach and he felt her quiver beneath his touch. "Say it again," he ordered gently, his hand passing over her bellybutton, one finger slipping into the dent it made in her skin.

"I love you House," she said again, willing to be as obedient as he wanted.

"Good." He kissed her neck passionately as his hand slid again between her legs, this time he remained there, his fingers playing along her soft plump lips, sliding back and forth tauntingly. She moaned uncontrollably as his finger sunk into her.

He expertly brought her to climax. "You're so easy," he whispered into her ear."

"You bastard," she moaned back.

"But you love me." He kissed her neck again, his hands running up her wet body. "So what's that make you?"

"An idiot." She turned to face him, grabbing his head and pulling him into a kiss.

"Yeah, but you're my idiot." He backed her against the glass door, pressing his mouth tight against hers.

"Don't let it go to your head," she warned, her hands running down his body.

"Oh don't worry, the only thing going to my head is…." he lost the ability to speak as she went down on him.

He decided at that moment that he was going to marry her. He was going to propose to her, on his terms, and she was going to say yes. And he no longer cared about sticking it to her mother, or pleasing his. All he cared about was Lisa Cuddy, and he was going to find a way to prove that to her.

* * *

Alas, we have reached the end of part one. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

When I return from vacation I will begin the sequel, A Hanukkah to Remember, coming to a site near you in a little over a week. Until then, peace, love, and happy Huddy dreams.


End file.
